The Facts:
Following up on the
ongoing story. ... 49ers owner Jed York flatly denied his team ever discussed trading coach Jim Harbaugh to the Cleveland Browns. Harbaugh echoed the owner's denial. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has a different story. In fact, Haslam confirmed the two teams did discuss a deal that would've rocked the NFL. "There was an opportunity there, and it didn't materialize," Haslam told USA Today in a Sunday report.
Reported by NFL.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
Haslam wouldn't elaborate on specifics of the "opportunity." Profootballtalk.com reported Friday that a deal was in place to send Harbaugh to the Browns in exchange for draft picks. From the start, the two teams have handled the story very differently. The Browns quickly released a statement explaining that they "explored several options" during the head-coaching search that ended with the hiring of Mike Pettine. A high-ranking Niners official told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport the PFT report was "completely false" and "ridiculous." York doubled down on the denial on Twitter. Haslam's acknowledgement confirms this was one bit of business the Niners did not want getting into the public sector. And as NFL.com's Dan Hanzus suggests, it's also not a good look for York, who was either dishonest in his response to the report or unaware the talks had taken place. It also lends further credence to the notion the Niners aren't "all in" on Harbuagh -- a perception that will likely only change if the team signs him to a rich contract extension that makes him one of the game's highest-paid coaches. Don't hold your breath.
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