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          NFL Nation

          A look at potential 49ers coaching candidates

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          49ers fire Tomsula after one season (2:53)

          ESPN 49ers reporter Paul Gutierrez breaks down the team's decision to let go of Jim Tomsula after going 5-11 in his first season as head coach. (2:53)

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterJan 4, 2016, 12:07 AM ET
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              Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
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          SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- A look at potential coaching candidates with the San Francisco 49ers having fired Jim Tomsula following Sunday's 19-16 overtime victory against the St. Louis Rams to close the season.

          Sean Payton: The seeming front-runner, considering his connection to general manager Trent Baalke via Bill Parcells. But with Payton still under contract, the Niners would have to part with some draft picks to secure his services and Baalke loves his draft picks. Plus, Baalke should be on a hot seat and he would need those draft picks to for a quick turnaround, no?

          Adam Gase: A finalist last year who purportedly balked at the Niners’ insistence he take Tomsula on as his defensive coordinator. He moved on to the Chicago Bears and, as their offensive coordinator, had the NFL’s No. 21-ranked offense. Water under a bridge?

          David Shaw: Stanford coach has the Cardinal among the elite programs in college with a smash-mouth brand of football and he’s just up the road from Santa Clara. Still, would he want to again follow Jim Harbaugh -- he already succeeded him on the Farm -- even if Tomsula was between them?

          Hue Jackson: The Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator has the No. 15-ranked unit in the NFL and is headed to the playoffs. It has been four years since HueJax’s epic meltdown in a postgame presser presumably cost him his job as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders but his imaginative offenses might be able to lift the Niners out of the doldrums.

          Teryl Austin: The Detroit Lions defensive coordinator has the No. 17-ranked defense in the league and is a hot candidate. But do the Niners need a defensive-minded coach after Tomsula? The defense was already the team’s strength in going 5-11 this season with NaVorro Bowman leading the unit.

          The two old school Mikes: Yes, for kicks and giggles, let’s throw Holmgren and Shanhan in the mix. Holmgren has reportedly let it be known that he is again interested in the gig at the ripe old age of 67 (he turns 68 on June 15) and Shanahan turns 64 on Aug. 24. Both represent the Niners’ glory days and are better fits as mentors and teachers than Tomsula ever was last January. But would either want to work for Baalke?