Jed York embarrassed with 49ers’ results but will keep GM Baalke

Head coach Jim Tomsula is gone. General manager Trent Baalke is staying. Owner Jed York spoke to the media about both — his first time chatting on the record this season.

Red-letter day for the wayward franchise. The big news was Baalke staying, a day after Tomsula going.

“I’ve watched Trent build this roster and I have confidence that he can get it done,” York said. “This is going to be a very important offseason for us.”

The divorce from Jim Harbaugh didn’t go well, following up one of the worst offseasons for a team in NFL history with a 5-11 mark, although it could be argued that Tomsula did yeoman’s work even winning that many games this that roster.

Watching Harbaugh have a terrific first season at University of Michigan, or reading his thinly veiled tweets after Tomsula was fired, couldn’t have felt good for York. But he failed to admit that losing his former coach was bad, noting the team’s strong effort to keep Harbaugh before what York deemed a “mutual parting.”

“Jim Harbaugh’s a good football coach,” York said. “His success at Michigan doesn’t surprise me at all.”

But firing Tomsula admitted a big mistake, costing the team the remaining $10.5 million on his deal and perhaps missing out on a chance to hire at least one candidate for the job (the Chicago Bears’ Adam Gase) who now has three head-coaching interviews set up this week and could be considered the young assistant coach the most in demand this offseason.

As for what type of coach York said he’s seeking, the owner said it’s one who can go the distance.

“We’re in need of somebody who can win Super Bowls, period,” York said. “We haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1994.”

And, more vaguely:

“We have a clear understanding of what we want,” he said. “We want a leader, we want someone who has a clear vision.”

But do the 49ers have a clear vision? All of Tomsula’s former assistants remain on staff under contract until further notice, and the new head coach will have the option of keeping any of them if they wish. As for leaks to the media, which have run rampant under the watch of York, the owner denied he was (as had been purported) the source of said leaks, directly or otherwise.

“We have no interest in leaking information from this building,” York said. “Anyone who I find out is leaking information will not be with this organization any longer.”

As for whether York might be selling the team forget about it.

“My family has owned this team since before I was born, and they’ll own this team after I am gone,” he said.

So we don’t know too much more Monday than we did Sunday about the direction of the team or whether it will be able to hire a coach of quality given the fact the Baalke is back, the quarterback situation is unsettled, the propensity for leaks and infighting at the facility and the fact that they just canned their coach after one year on the job, painting a picture of instability.

All one month before the team is set to host a Super Bowl at its shiny, new stadium. It’s bound to be a fascinating new weeks in the Bay Area.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm