NFL

‘It Didn't Surprise Me': 49ers Fire General Manager Trent Baalke

The San Francisco 49ers have fired general manager Trent Baalke, and head coach Chip Kelly may receive the same fate sometime after Sunday's final regular season game, according to CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco and radio station KNBR.

Jed York, the organization's CEO, reportedly told Baalke on Friday that he would be out of a job come Sunday, Maiocco reported. Baalke confirmed those reports when he spoke with KNBR before Sunday's contest, and he admittedly said: "It didn't surprise me."

"It's difficult, but it's the right thing to do," Baalke told KNBR.

The now ex-general manager added that he wishes the "organization nothing but the best moving forward" and backed York as the organization's supreme signal caller in the front office.

The official termination announcement for Baalke, and potentially Kelly, is expected to be handed down after the 49ers close the regular season Sunday afternoon.

The move to oust Baalke, the team's key decision maker who has faced waves of criticism for his controversial management of the team's roster and coaching staff, comes as no real revelation. Since appearing in Super Bowl XLVII back in 2013 behind head coach Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers parted ways with the leader on the sidelines before gradually plummeting to the league's cellar.

Under-performing draft selections and less-than-stellar free agency acquisitions are just some of the grievances that have been linked to Baalke in recent years.

The 49ers also lost a franchise-record 13 games in a row this season and currently sit at 2-13, the second-worst mark in the NFL.

Kelly's reported departure may come as a shock to some as the first-year head coach was believed to be safe for at least one more season, according to Maiocco. Kelly will most likely get the boot in order for the franchise to overhaul the front office and start fresh with new leadership.

Baalke said he supports the potential decision to shake up the entire organization.

"I'm a big fan of it," he told KNBR. "Sometimes you just need to reset the culture."

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