Niners squashed Harbaugh-Browns deal

Could one of the top coaches in the NFL be available via trade?

The Browns and 49ers acknowledged there were trade talks involving San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh, despite the fiery coach leading the team to one Super Bowl and three NFC Championship games in his three seasons in the Bay Area.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam confirmed to USA Today discussions between his team and the 49ers over trading for Harbaugh, though the talks went nowhere. Haslam said there was as “opportunity,” while 49ers CEO Jed York said the team had “no interest in entering those discussions.”

York told the Sacramento Bee the talks went “not far at all.”

“We want Jim to be our head coach, and we’ve said that very clearly,” York told the paper.

It makes sense for the Browns and adds some context to their laughable coaching search this offseason, which ended with the hiring of former Jets and Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. But why would the 49ers even consider a deal with the success Harbaugh has had in the Bay Area?

CBS Sports reports Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke “are barely speaking” and the only communication between the two is through email. Harbaugh also has a strained relationship with team president Paraag Marathe, according to the website’s sources.

“The situation there is actually much worse than how it has been portrayed in the media, and helps explain the delay in giving a new deal to the coach, who has two years left on a contract he has outperformed,” the report said.

Harbaugh currently makes $5 million a year, but wants to be paid in the $7 millionto$ 8 million range of the most highly paid coaches in the league.