Take the source at face value but the topic is fascinating to me. The value for Harbaugh will lie between
two third-rounders and
two first-round picks, two second-round picks & $8 million (Gruden). And the Niners hold all the cards here and this is why:
1. The Niners already have a top 3 defense and will have the entire unit back next year healthy and with a TON of depth plus FA and the draft. The I.R. pipe-line will be opened up as well for further competition. It's an embarassment of riches on the defensive side. And we can probably expect a dynamic ST returner and deep-threat WR in one player next year. Fangio and Donatell each signed extensions (IIRC).
2. This offense ONLY needs an average offense @ (22.8) points a game (basically, KC's offense right now) and this team can win a Championship. We're 27th in points.
3. Harbaugh would be a hot commodity right now b/c he's seen as a coach that helps turn franchises around (like the Raiders) but not a finisher (obviously). He'd bring a ton of credibility to a team like the Browns and Raiders and Jets.
4. We're in no rush to trade Harbaugh
ONCE Baalke goes out and brings in a new offensive system and an OC on the condition that Harbaugh keeps his hands 100% OFF the offense like he does for the defense. If he does this one move alone, Harbaugh is insignificant and simply a "player/coaching manager." He adds nothing to ST, defense or offense. If that OC is also a good candidate for a HC position, well, that's even more leverage.
5. If Harbaugh isn't cool with this, he'll want out and we'll probably get a great deal b/c of it and now we're on to finding a better HC/OC with more ammunition in the draft and a position (HC/OC or both) that would be THE most attractive on the market (and no rush since we probably won't be going to the playoffs).
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/12/02/so-whats-jim-harbaugh-worth-in-trade/
So what's Jim Harbaugh worth in trade? Posted by Mike Florio on December 2, 2014, 7:10 AM EST
Getty Images With the tea leaves pointing squarely toward the 49ers trading coach Jim Harbaugh with one year left on his contract, what can the 49ers get for him on the open market?
Fans will be hoping for a Jon Gruden-style haul, especially if Harbaugh is traded to the team that traded Gruden to the Bucs nearly 13 years ago. In early 2002, Tampa Bay gave up two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and $8 million for Gruden, who like Harbaugh was entering the final year of his contract.
Barring a full-blown bidding war, with multiple teams driving up the price, it's unlikely to happen for the 49ers. Earlier this year, and as PFT previously has reported, the Browns would have gotten Harbaugh for two third-round picks, if Harbaugh ultimately had decided to take the job.
If Harbaugh had wanted the job, he would be coaching the Browns right now. Ultimately, he chose to stay with the 49ers. It's highly unlikely he'll make that choice again.
It's also highly unlikely that Harbaugh would sign off on a trade that would see his new team give up so much to get him. While it would be a nice boost to the ego to have a franchise sacrifice two ones and two twos to get a coach, it also ties one hand behind the coach's back to lose important assets for building a team. (Then again, maybe he has a recessive gene that keeps him from worrying about not having first- or second-round draft picks.)
Regardless, the Browns set the floor in February, as part of a deal that was far closer to happening that anyone will admit on the record. Unless the 49ers can get the Raiders and the Jets (and maybe another team) to start one-upping each other, the package should be far closer to two threes than the ransom that the Bucs paid for Gruden.
So getting Davis back has not been helpful in that area (not surprising returning from injury and I doubt he's 100%). I think Miller said a mouthful!
