Chip Kelly: No assurance from Jed York he’ll be 49ers’ coach in 2017

In January, after Chip Kelly was introduced as the 49ers' head coach, Jed York was asked what would happen if Kelly went 8-8 in his first season. Would York fire Kelly if he had a break-even record? In light of his record, Kelly was asked Monday if he'd received any assurance from York that he would remain the head coach in 2017. Kelly doesn't figure to earn a gold-star review after the regular-season finale Jan. 1, but it's fair to wonder if having a horrendous season with the roster he inherited is a fire-able offense. Kelly termed the suggestion "ludicrous" during an appearance on KNBR on Monday morning before he handled a similar line of questioning at his formal news conference hours later. Most people perceive Kelly is working with an underwhelming group of wide receivers. On Sunday, their five included three players who weren't with the team Aug. 28 (Jeremy Kerley, Rod Streater, Chris Harper), a rookie sixth-round pick with two receptions (Aaron Burbridge) and Quinton Patton, who has 66 catches in his four-year career. Baalke signed Smith to a five-year, $40 million deal last year, but otherwise has not placed a high priority on the position. Since taking over the draft in...