How close did Adam Gase come to taking over as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers?
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Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News was told a similar story by an NFL source who said that Gase "turned that suggestion down flat."
Breer was told that Gase's pitch to 49ers' brass was to either keep Vic Fangio in place as defensive coordinator or hire away Bengals assistant Vance Joseph from Cincinnati. Fangio might have left San Francisco anyway -- and the Bengals blocked Joseph from seeking other jobs -- but Gase was not about to be told who his coordinators would be.
When talks with Gase broke down, the 49ers quickly hired Tomsula, who turned around and named Eric Mangini his defensive play-caller before promoting quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst to offensive coordinator. Neither were hot names this offseason.
As fate would have it, Gase ultimately wound up alongside Fangio in Chicago, both serving as coordinators under coach John Fox. We can only imagine the backroom conversations these two valuable assistants must share about a 49ers squad under plenty of pressure to prove that replacing Jim Harbaugh was the wise move.
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