Trent Baalke, still scouting, was in Cleveland last night

Many among the Niner Faithful were hoping that San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke would have been fired by now. The move during the team's bye week would have allowed his replacement or interim replacement to give his own group of scouts time to evaluate college players leading into the offseason.

Not only does Baalke remain with the team, but he is still scouting. Baalke was in Cleveland last night to watch the Chicago Cubs win the World Series against the local Indians. He was in town to scout the Akron game and watched Game 7 of the series from his downtown hotel.


Head coach Chip Kelly was asked if he would sit down and talk to Baalke about ex-Eagles WR Josh Huff, who was released today by Philadelphia following his arrest on Tuesday. "No, because Trent's not here," Kelly answered. "Trent's at a couple college games right now."

Some have called for Baalke to be removed sooner rather than later. Then there are those that believe, because he is still scouting, that he will not be removed at all. To the dismay of many fans, that makes some sense. Why would the team continue to fund Baalke's trips if they have no intention of retaining him? They could possibly be paying for Baalke to scout for an opposing franchise should they choose to rid themselves of him following the season.

That cannot be good news for 49ers fans who desperately want him out. How much do they want him out? Prior to Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, a banner will fly over Levi's Stadium calling for Baalke to be fired. That banner has been completely funded by the fanbase.

Baalke has officially served as the team's general manager since 2011. Baalke started his tenure with the 49ers in 2005 as their Western Region Scout. Since taking over as general manager, the 49ers roster has dramatically regressed under his reign since 2012, when they appeared in a Super Bowl.