49ers, Dolphins make big push for Stanford's Harbaugh

On the day he fired Mike Singletary, 49ers president Jed York vowed to break the bank if that's what it took to land a new coach.

"Money is no object," York said Dec. 26. "I mean, our object is to win the Super Bowl year in and year out. We're going to make sure we get this right."

That plan ran into a serious challenge Wednesday night when the Miami Dolphins appeared to place themselves several million dollars ahead of the 49ers in a bidding war for Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.

An NFL source with knowledge of the situation said the Dolphins made a late charge and seemed poised to offer Harbaugh more than $7 million per season. The same source thought Harbaugh was on the verge of accepting about $5 million per season over five years from the 49ers -- right before Miami swooped in.

Though not officially out of the Harbaugh sweepstakes, the 49ers are prepared to move on. Team officials had initial discussions with former Broncos coach Josh McDaniels late Wednesday night, according to an NFL source.

The phone conversation with McDaniels came after Harbaugh met with York and new general manager Trent Baalke for more than six hours at an undisclosed Bay Area location.

As the afternoon meeting stretched into the early evening, ESPN reported that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross traveled to the Bay Area to make an "urgent pitch" to Harbaugh and that they were willing to make him the highest-paid coach in the NFL.

Earlier Wednesday,
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the 49ers interviewed Hue Jackson, the Raiders offensive coordinator. Jackson, 45, led a Raiders offense that was the sixth-highest scoring unit in the league and remains a candidate to replace ousted Oakland head coach Tom Cable.

By the late afternoon, however, all eyes were back on Harbaugh, the most coveted name on the coaching market. His stock, already soaring, skyrocketed in the wake of Stanford's impressive 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. That game took place in Miami, where Ross was among the spectators.

The 49ers zeroed in on Harbaugh in part because his offensive pedigree appeals to them after two failed tenures by defensive-minded coaches, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary. The 49ers -- once famed for their offensive wizardry -- haven't finished among the top half of NFL teams in total yardage since 2003.

Harbaugh spent 14 seasons in the NFL and led the league in quarterback rating in 1995. He later spent two seasons as the Raiders quarterbacks coach.

During his four seasons as Stanford's head coach, he transformed the Cardinal into a scoring machine and helped groom Andrew Luck into one of the nation's premier quarterbacks. Luck was the runner-up in Heisman Trophy balloting.

Fresh off the Orange Bowl victory, Harbaugh, 47, looks poised to make the jump to the NFL. He returned to the Bay Area on Tuesday night and, within 24 hours, was meeting with 49ers officials. Harbaugh's name has also been linked, at various times, with the Broncos, Carolina Panthers and the University of Michigan.

But it's the Dolphins who are putting on the hardest push, even though the team hasn't fired coach Tony Sparano. The NFL Network said Harbaugh is seeking a deal worth around $6.5 million per season, which is what Pete Carroll received last year when he left USC for the Seattle Seahawks. The network also noted that the Dolphins have already made a $7 million offer to Jon Gruden, who rejected the deal to remain an ESPN analyst.

Sources told ESPN that Ross and Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland headed to the West Coast only after Harbaugh indicated he was willing to listen to Miami's presentation.

Harbaugh is 58-27 overall as a college coach, including 29-21 Stanford.

Sources told ESPN that the 49ers also requested permission to interview New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Interviewing Jackson or Fewell would satisfy the league's Rooney Rule requiring teams to interview at least one minority candidate.