San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has denied reports that he has fallen out with general manager Trent Baalke.

Harbaugh's off-field relationship with a number of staff members and players has come under scrutiny over recent weeks, with reports claiming that he had demanded to be made the highest-paid coach in the NFL.

However, the 50-year-old, who was linked with a trade to the Cleveland Browns last month, insists that he and Baalke are like brothers and stressed the respect he has for his colleague.

"We're both demanding and we want to be accountable for ourselves, for each other. If you haven't had a brother, you probably don't understand the relationship between the GM and the head coach," Harbaugh told Sports Illustrated.

"We're partners on the same team. I have great respect for him. He works extremely hard at it and is very good at it. We are all part of a team. I believe in the structure we have. I don't want to change anything that we do in that regard."

Harbaugh has led the Niners to the NFC championship game in each of his three years in charge of the team, as well as guiding them to one Super Bowl.