Vegas Places Best Odds For 49ers Head Coach On Chip Kelly

According to Bovada.lv, Las Vegas' sports betting website, former Philadelphia Eagles general manager and head coach Chip Kelly has the best odds at 3/1 to become the San Francisco 49ers new head coach.

Kelly, who reported interested in the 49ers position, will be up against some other strong candidates. Vegas believes the offensive-minded Mike Shanahan has the second best odds at 7/2 - he does have a strong past with the 49ers as an offensive coordinator under head coach George Seifert. He won a Super Bowl with the 49ers in 1994 - a goal owner Jed York preached about during his recent press conference.

Following Kelly and Shanahan is a tie between Bengals offensive coordinator (and former Oakland Raiders head coach) Hue Jackson and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn with 5/1 odds. Jackson, who has head coaching experience, has not confirmed an interview yet, unlike Lynn, who will visit the 49ers Thursday.

Behind them is an interesting candidate in Mike Holmgren. With San Francisco being his hometown, Holmgren would love to try to turn the once-great franchise around. He was a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the 49ers under Bill Walsh and George Seifert from 1986-1991, being a part of two Superbowl wins during that span.

There's no denying Holmgren's ability to lead an offense, but his track record of head coaching has been on the decline since his Super Bowl victory as the Green Bay Packers head coach in 1996. He would later coach the Seattle Seahawks from 1999-2008, taking them to their first Super Bowl in 2005.

Holmgren later became the President of the Cleveland Browns from 2010-2012, but was unsuccessful with a combined 14-34 record. Since then he has been contemplating retirement until the 49ers head coach position opened up. He has expressed interest in being a head coach for the 49ers and it's a fact some older 49ers fans will welcome him back with open arms.

Rounding out the bottom of the list is Adam Gase (7/1 odds), the former Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos offensive coordinator, and the always intriguing Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints(12/1 odds). Gase has offensive coordinator experience, but has yet to be a head coach in the NFL, while Payton has led the Saints to a Super Bowl victory in 2009. Payton, however, is still under contract with the Saints and would have to be traded for at least a second round draft pick.

UPDATE: The Saints announced at a press conference Wednesday that they will keep Payton as the Saints head coach, so his odds will take a big dip after the news.

The 49ers have several top-tier coaches to interview, but it'll only be a matter of time before Trent Baalke and the hiring committee make a decision.