Despite what San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke would say on the subject, current Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase was nearly hired as the team's head coach in 2015. Reportedly, a last minute demand by York and Baalke to make Jim Tomsula his defensive coordinator ended the talks and the 49ers went on to hire Tomsula as their head coach following the firing of Jim Harbaugh.
Apparently, Tomsula later approached Gase about becoming the team's offensive coordinator. You would think that would be adding insult to injury. However, that's not how Gase remembers it.
During an interview with Bay Area reporters today, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee asked Gase if Tomsula had approached him about becoming the team's offensive coordinator following the head coaching job rejection. "Possibly," Gase answered. Barrows then asked if it happened at the Denver airport. "Maybe," Gase answered.
"I have a lot of respect for Jimmy," Gase continued. "He always treated me so great when I was an offensive assistant. He went out of his way to approach me and we had a great relationship. That was very tough for me as far as deciding to go to Chicago because I thought that was the best move for me at the time.
I have a lot of friends in that [49ers] building and I have a lot of people that I respect and, obviously, my respect for the York family is very, very high. I want the best for those guys all the time. That was a tough decision for me because anytime I can do anything to help Jed York win games, that's why that was a very hard decision as far as even not getting the head coaching job. Just saying, 'You know, I think I'm going to do something else as far as a coordinators job.' That was a tougher decision than most people realize because of the respect factor I have for those people and that organization."
Gase would go on to become the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 2015 and then accepted the head coaching job with the Dolphins this year. After losing four of their first five this season, the Dolphins have won five straight and are currently 7.5-point favorites over the 49ers, the team that they will host on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are on their third head coach in three years, sitting at 1-9, and are riding a nine-game losing streak with no signs of things possibly turning around anytime soon.