The San Francisco 49ers currently find themselves looking for a fourth head coach in as many years. It’s a less-than-stellar situation for the once proud franchise. It also speaks volumes about just how far the 49ers have fallen since Jim Harbaugh left following the 2014 season.
Outside of a front office that couldn’t get out of its own way if it tried, one of the biggest issues here was the team’s decision to promote defensive line coach Jim Tomsula to head coach. That set into motion one-and-done deals for Tomsula in 2015 and Kelly this past season.
Despite this, former 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia seems to think he has what it takes to coach the 49ers. He’s also interested in doing just that.
“I tell you what, the 17 years of professional football experience that I have in my backpocket, and the years of growing up around a father who was a head coach and just being around the game — have prepared me to be the leader of a football team,” Garcia told a local radio station in the Bay Area on Wednesday (h/t NBC Bay Area) . “And that’s what this team needs. They need a leader of the football team. They need somebody who is gonna come in and is not gonna take any trash; not gonna take any instability as far as the personality is concerned, and understand that this has to be about the team. It can’t be about your individual success, it can’t be about your individual contract; it’s gotta be about the team.”
That’s all fine and dandy. It’s also a solid resume for a former player that wants to start his career and work his way up to being a head coach.
Garcia has one year of coaching experience in the NFL. It came as an offensive assistant with the then St. Louis Rams in 2015. It didn’t work out. Prior to that, he was the quarterbacks coach for the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes.
Despite Garcia’s opinion on his ability to become a head coach, he’s realistic about the process.
“Let’s be honest with each other. As much as I believe and feel that I am capable of leading a team, people don’t want you to be able to take the shortcut,” Garcia continued. “They want you to go through the process. They want you to start as the assistant, they want you to work your way up to the coordinator, they want you to work your way into that head coach position.”
At least he knows how the process works.
But let’s be honest here for a second. Absolutely nothing is out of the equation when it comes to the 49ers. They proved this by promoting Tomsula a couple years ago. They proved this again after firing Kelly in a premature manner after only one season. If the team’s inept brass thinks Garcia could be the guy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get an interview.
Garcia starred for the 49ers from 1999-2003, earning three Pro Bowl trips and leading the team to the postseason twice.