San Francisco 49ers hire Chip Kelly to be head coach

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The San Francisco 49ers have hired Chip Kelly to be their new head coach, the team announced Thursday.

“After a thorough search, Trent and I are thrilled to announce Chip Kelly as the new head coach of the 49ers,” 49ers CEO Jed York said on Twitter, referring to the team’s general manager, Trent Baalke.

After being fired by the Philadelphia Eagles before the end of the regular season, Kelly had said his preference was to remain in the NFL.

The 49ers job was one of four teams with coaching vacancies that had been linked to Kelly, including the Tennessee Titans, the New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns.

Kelly was one of two finalists for the 49ers job, along with former Broncos and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.