NFL Notes: Jim Harbaugh, 49ers, Broncos, Buccaneers

Jim Harbaugh

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that while many expect the 49ers to trade HC Jim Harbaugh after the season, there are still some hurdles to be cleared before any agreement is in place.

• Florio mentions that the 49ers will have to wait for an interested team to firing their current head coach and comply with the Rooney Rule before a deal can be finalized.
• Florio admits that these issues could be minor if the two parties are capable of getting things sorted out ahead of time.
• According to Florio, discretion will be critical for both teams as it would be harder for them to line up a minority candidate to fulfill the Rooney Rule requirements.

49ers

Joel Corry of the National Football Post writes that the 49ers are unlikely to released QB Colin Kaepernick, despite the fact that he has regressed this season.

Corry mentions that San Francisco is more likely to trade Kaepernick than release him, but he also doesn’t see the 49ers getting the second-round pick they invested in him back in any deal.

According to Corry, the most likely scenario is the 49ers restructuring Kaepernick’s contract during the offseason. This would reduce his team-high cap figure of $15,265,753 and give them some much needed cap space to work with.

Broncos

• Jeff Legwold expects TE Julius Thomas (ankle) to play in Week 15’s game against the Chargers.

Buccaneers

• Former Buccaneers OC Jeff Tedford is reportedly leaning towards accepting the CFL’s B.C Lions head coaching job. (Arash Madani)