The 49ers on Thursday made Chip Kelly the highest-paid coach in franchise history.
Kelly and the 49ers agreed to a four-year, $24 million deal, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
On top of Kelly’s average $6 million salary, the 49ers are also on the hook for former coach Jim Tomsula’s $3.5 million annual salary for the next three years.
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Jim Harbaugh signed a five-year, $25 million contract in January 2011. The sides spoke about contract extensions after the 2013 and ’14 seasons. Early in training camp of 2014, the sides decided to table those discussions until after the season.
Just minutes after the final game of the 2014 season, the 49ers announced a “mutual parting” with Harbaugh that wiped out the final year of his $5 million annual salary and enabled him to coach Michigan, his alma mater.
Kelly left Oregon in 2013 to sign a reported five-year, $32.5 million contract with the Eagles that made him one of the league’s highest-paid coaches. The Eagles will be liable for the difference in the two contracts to assure that Kelly makes no less than what he was due from the deal he signed in Philadelphia over the final two remaining years of that contract.
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Kelly was at the 49ers’ facility in Santa Clara on Thursday, as he began the process of putting together his coaching staff.
Kelly’s introductory press conference with the 49ers is likely to be held Wednesday or Thursday due to travel conflicts with general manager Trent Baalke.
