As expected, every San Francisco 49ers assistant coach except running backs coach Tom Rathman was fired Thursday.
The 49ers promoted Jim Tomsula to head coach Wednesday. He was introduced Thursday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. He replaces Jim Harbaugh, who mutually agreed to "part ways" with 49ers at the end of the regular season.
Tomsula will now have to hire not only offensive and defensive coordinators, no doubt with input from general manager Trent Baalke and CEO Jed York, but practically an entire staff.
The Niners reportedly denied Washington permission to speak with Vic Fangio about its vacant defensive coordinator position. At the time, and before offensive coordinator Greg Roman left for the Buffalo Bills, Baalke said he wanted to hold on to his assistants until Harbaugh's replacement was in the building as an act of "giving them all an opportunity to at least visit with the new head coach, when that head coach is named, to see what their status here would be."
With the Niners staying in-house with Tomsula, who has been on staff since 2007, those intentions have apparently been made, with only Rathman welcomed back.
Rathman played from 1986 through 1994 in the NFL as a fullback, winning two rings with the 49ers, before joining the team in 1997 and serving as running backs coach through 2002. After coaching stints with the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders, Rathman returned to the 49ers in 2009.
Two other assistants, tight ends coach Eric Mangini and secondary coach Ed Donatell, were given permission to interview with Washington for the defensive coordinator gig. Meanwhile, offensive line coach Mike Solari is being wooed by Roman and the Bills. Solari, though, told CSNBayArea.com he was scheduled to meet with Baalke on Thursday morning to see whether there was room for him on Tomsula's staff.
Solari might be a candidate for offensive coordinator, with his previous experience as a run-first offensive coordinator in Kansas City in 2006 and 2007, though the Chiefs' rushing offense fell from No. 9 to No. 32 in the NFL. Other names linked to the opening include Marc Trestman, Kyle Shanahan, Rob Chudzinski and possibly even Adam Gase.
Jason Tarver, the Raiders' defensive coordinator the past three years, is a candidate to replace Fangio if he departs. Donatell and linebackers coach Jim Leavitt might also be considered, although that would go against the report that all assistants were being relieved of their duties in Santa Clara.