5 Coaches the San Francisco 49ers Should Interview If They Fire Jim Tomsula

The San Francisco 49ers apparently want to keep Jim Tomsula as their head coach next season, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.

Cole said this in a video posted Wednesday: “Despite the fact that they’re on a 4-10 season and have gone backwards significantly over the year, not only with the roster with so many defections...but also on the coaching staff with the loss of Jim Harbaugh. Despite all of that, management wants to have some type of continuity.”

Cole didn’t say Tomsula definitely will return next season, but he did say the Niners are “leaning toward keeping him at this point in time.”

If the Niners happen to change their minds, here are the top-five coaches they should interview in ascending order.

5. Green Bay Packers Associate Head Coach Tom Clements

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Qualifications: An NFL coach since 1997, Clements has worked with Pro Bowl quarterbacks such as Elvis Grbac, Kordell Stewart, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. He helped develop Rodgers into the best quarterback in the NFL and beat out the 49ers' current quarterbacks coach Steve Logan to become the Packers’ quarterbacks coach in 2006, per scout.com. He also became Green Bay’s offensive coordinator in 2012. Now, he is the associate head coach.

Pros: Clements has experience working with young quarterbacks. He changed Rodgers’ mechanics for the better and would get the most out of any quarterback the Niners draft.

Cons: He was stripped of play-calling duties this season and has never has been a head coach at any level.

4. Seattle Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell

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Qualifications: Bevell has been an NFL coach since 2000 and initially preceded Tom Clements as the quarterbacks coach for the Packers, coaching Brett Favre. He was hired in 2006 to be the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, and coached Favre again. Following that, Bevell was hired in 2011 to be the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, and he has developed Russell Wilson.

Pros: The Seahawks offense has ranked top 10 in points scored the past four seasons. He likes to run the ball, which fits the 49ers’ offensive philosophy, works for a division rival and would help the Niners at the expense of the Seahawks.

Cons: Bevell has never been a head coach at any level, is only 45 years old and may need to coach a college team for a few years before he’s ready to become an NFL head coach.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Qualifications: A head coach in college from 1998 to 2006, Koetter has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL since 2007. He has been successful whether working with mediocre quarterbacks such as David Garrard, ultra-talented quarterbacks like Matt Ryan or young quarterbacks such as Jameis Winston.

Pros: Koetter's offenses have ranked top eight in yards gained three of the past four seasons, including this year. He is doing a great job this year with Winston, a rookie.

Cons: Won only 40-of-74 games as the head coach of Arizona State from 2001 to 2006. He may be better as an offensive coordinator than as a head coach.

2. Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson

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Qualifications: Offensive coordinator for Cal in 1996 under former 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci, Jackson was then offensive coordinator for USC from 1997 to 2000. He has been offensive coordinator for four NFL teams since then and was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011.

Pros: He won eight games during his only season as the Raiders head coach and has improved Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, who posted a career-best passer rating of 106.2 this season before injuring his thumb.

Cons: Having lost four of his final five games as head coach of the Raiders, Jackson infamously blamed the last loss on his players, who seemed to tune him out as the season went on.

1. UCLA Head Coach Jim L. Mora

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Qualifications: Mora was an NFL coach from 1989 to 2009 and worked for the Niners as their defensive backs coach in 1997 and 1998, and as their defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2003. He was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2004 to 2006, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks in 2009 and has been head coach of UCLA since 2012.

Pros: Mora has eight years of experience as a head coach and has improved dramatically the past four seasons at UCLA, compiling a winning percentage of .712. He also has experience working with young players.

Cons: He is a defensive coach who hasn’t developed a quarterback, and already has been fired from two NFL head-coaching jobs; there aren't many coaches that get a third chance. Mora earned $3.25 million from UCLA in 2014, and he may not want to leave unless he gets a big raise, which may be too expensive for the 49ers.

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