Before any rumors could really get started, Jed York shut down any talk of firings.
The San Francisco 49ers lost again on Monday, falling to 6-10 on the season. While there is justification for plenty of big changes throughout the organization following such a disapointing season, principal owner and CEO Jed York told Tim Kawakami of The SF Standard that he will not be moving on from head coach Kyle Shanahan or general manager John Lynch this offseason.
York told Kawakami, “They’re not going anywhere.” When Kawakami asked if that comment was on the record, the longtime CEO responded, “You can write that, for sure. They’re not going anywhere.”
The news is far from a surprise, but should prevent any rumor mill from spinning up about a change to the Niners’ brass, at least from the team perspective. It’s worth pointing out that Lynch has seriously considered broadcasting opportunities in the past, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see a network (or streaming service) make another attempt to sign him away this offseason. Still, Lynch reports to Shanahan, and Shanahan isn’t going anywhere.
While York has made plenty of mistakes during his time at the helm of the franchise, he seems to have learned from some of his biggest mistakes. It’s clear that York’s decision to side with Trent Baalke and fire Jim Harbaugh set the franchise back for several seasons, and it forced York to reflect on his decisions. For what it’s worth, Jaguars owner Shad Khan appears to be in the exact same spot with Baalke now.
For a franchise that has seen the disastrous tenures of head coaches like Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary, Jim Tomsula, and Chip Kelly, a clearly competent coach who consistently keeps his players motivated and builds a competitive team, like Shanahan, is not something to be undervalued. York seems to agree.