The 49ers' second head coaching search since the departure of Jim Harbaugh ended with Chip Kelly signing on January 14, 2016
Kelly on Thursday shed light on the interview process for the San Francisco gig, specifically his perspective.
When asked what his biggest question was for the 49ers, Kelly told 95.7 The Game, "To me, it was just, the stability at the top. Because that's what really runs the organization, and that's the vision.
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Kelly, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles and Oregon Ducks, went on to discuss his prior relationship with 49ers general manager Trent Baalke.
"And I had met Trent (Baalke) before when I was the head coach at Oregon because Trent had been up many times scouting our players."
Baalke drafted three Oregon players from 2012-16 in running back LaMichael James, and defensive tackles Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner.
"You know, the one thing about Trent that always impressed me is his work ethic," Kelly said. "He leaves every Wednesday to go to visit colleges on Thursday, sees a Thursday night game, visits another college on a Friday, catches a game on Saturday and meets the team on Sunday. That's every week during the college football season. Not all general managers do that. I had known Trent from a football standpoint before that.
49ers CEO Jed York, also involved in the hiring of the team's head coach, made a strong impression on Kelly.
"What really impressed me was just getting a chance to sit down and talk with Jed and get his vision for how he wants this organization to be run from top to bottom. And you know, it was something that I wanted to be a part of. Philosophically, we thought alike; Jed, myself and Trent."
Chip Kelly is 26-21-0 over three NFL seasons. He went 10-6 in his first two years in Philadelphia before a 6-9 record in 2015 led to his dismissal.
