49ers hire Chip Kelly as head coach, spurning Dirk Koetter

The San Francisco 49ers have hired Chip Kelly as their head coach, the team announced today. Rumors had been swirling around the team for days, with Dirk Koetter and Mike Shanahan also considered to be top contenders for the job. They settled on the former Eagles coach instead.

That leaves the Bucs as the only team with concrete interest in Koetter as a head coach, and leaves the door open for him to be retained as offensive coordinator with a different head coach as well. The Bucs want to maintain continuity on offense if possible, with Jameis Winston excelling under Koetter in his first year. The Eagles are the only team to have been reported to have some interest in Koetter, but they have not shown interest in him and the media consensus is that they'll hire Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson once their playoff run is over.

The Bucs have interviewed Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin and Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator for their head coaching job in addition to Koetter. While Koetter continues to look like the favorite, with him reportedly setting up possible assistant coaches in case he's hired, this wouldn't be the first time the Bucs did the unexpected if they decide to go elsewhere.