His high school coach says the 49ers' new hire is a good one for Kaepernick. The San Francisco 49ers have hired Chip Kelly as their new head coach. He also previously coached at the University of Oregon.

Kelly, 52, joins the 49ers after three seasons with the Eagles, who hired him on his credentials as a whiz-bang offensive genius who had coached OR to a 46-7 record.

But his personnel decisions notwithstanding, Kelly did win 10 games in each of his first two seasons with the Eagles.

The contract itself isn't surprising considering Kelly's name value, but it is a little surprising with him coming off a job where he got fired. If this was a race, Kelly would have won, as the Eagles are still searching for his replacement.

Following a 5-11 season, many analysts were writing that Kaepernick would soon be shipped to another team and that Gabbert or a quarterback from this year's draft, would be leading the team in 2016.

"It's the small things you don't think about: the nutrition, the sleep, the way we train", one of Kelly's Eagles players said in 2013. For now, his role with the 49ers is strictly to coach the men General Manager Trent Baalke places on the field.

"I think Chip Kelly is the kind of coach that can resurrect his career", Turlock resident Fred Patino said. After management forced Jim Harbaugh out of the Bay Area a year ago, Kaepernick has been forced to deal with an offensive system that refused to work with his talents, an offensive line that could barely block, and a revolving door at running back - not to mention underperforming receivers.

Following a disappointing start to the season that led to a fractured locker room, there was speculation that the team would explore trade options for the ailing signal-caller.

Kelly faces the daunting challenge of transforming the 49ers into an immediate contender again.

To demonstrate this we don't even need to flip the calendar back a page with early this month Tampa Bay firing Lovie Smith after just two seasons, Cleveland firing Mike Pettine after just two seasons, and, of course, San Francisco firing Jim Tomsula after just one season.

A person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that Kansas City offensive coordinator Doug Pederson has accepted the Eagles' offer to become their head coach.

One offseason question facing San Francisco is the status of quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sharply regressed last season after 2 1/2 solid seasons upon becoming a starter.