The 49ers GM didn’t bat an eyelash when asked about possible changes to the coaching staff.
The “chatter”—if you even want to call it that—about Kyle Shanahan’s future will probably continue regardless if the San Francisco 49ers win or lose Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Shanahan’s general manager finds it comical.
A few weeks ago, we discussed how firing Kyle Shanahan was a bad idea, and this week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said he heard nothing about the 49ers moving on from their head coach. That didn’t stop “suggestions” this week of the 49ers possibly trading Kyle Shanahan. To be clear, there is no current report that the 49ers are shopping Shanahan, and nothing to indicate anything of the sort. It’s something you may find discussed on social media as a what-if at best. Like, “Hey, if this happened.”
It’s like all those scenarios of how Shanahan would get Kirk Cousins every year.
49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR’s Murph & Markus on Friday and talked about trade scenarios and the “possibility” the 49ers may move on from Shanahan. Here’s the entire quote:
“I sit back, and I try to be focused, but I’ve found the whole discussion on Kyle—some of the stuff—rather comical. We have won four of the last five division championships and been in two Super Bowls. Look, the standard here is to win championships and we’ve fallen short—I understand that. But we have an excellent head coach, and the fact people are talking about stuff like that, I do find it comical. We’re 100 percent behind Kyle and what he brings to our organization.”
Considering Kyle Shanahan hand-picked Lynch as his GM, you’d have to think that if Shanahan was out, Lynch might follow. And if that’s the case, there’d have to be some tea leaves to read.
Except there isn’t if you hear how Lynch answered. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a guy worried about his job.
You might remember when this kind of thing happened in Jim Harbaugh’s final year with the 49ers. A report came out on the 49ers trying to trade him to the Cleveland Browns. The sad part was that while the report was denied, there was enough to suggest something was up. Then came that Thanksgiving game and the subsequent “tweet” (what we used to call the posts on X). Regarding the Browns, it all came down to who you wanted to believe.
Regardless, something was going on. As they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. If you were like me, you were probably in denial.
The difference between then and now is that in 2014, there was plenty of smoke somewhere. It’s 2024, and there is—and has been—nothing to suggest we’re going through another version of this story. Zero. These are just ideas and “what-ifs” on destinations for Kyle Shanahan if the 49ers were even to consider such an idea.
Shanahan and Lynch signed multi-year contract extensions in 2023. Their last contract before the extension went through 2025. It’s doubtful one down year will make the 49ers rip all of that up and say, “Adios.” Which is where the trade chatter probably comes from.
Now, let’s be fair—the 49ers have said they would listen to any offer. Even Shanahan said at one point something along the lines of he’d be on the table if it meant improving the team. But an offer, any offer, to get Kyle Shanahan will fleece a team. In a trade for a coach, the coach has to agree to the trade. So why would a coach agree to go to a team when the 49ers are going to want—and get—a king’s ransom on draft picks?
And let’s also be honest: there will be an end for Kyle Shanahan. There always is an end for all head coaches. How, when, why, we can’t predict. It may come down to a mutual parting of ways (no, not a punchline like the Harbaugh scenario), where Shanahan and the 49ers agree it’s time to move on. It happens. Is it happening here? Is there any actual evidence? Look at the Harbaugh scenario up until now, there was plenty of leaks, reports, etc.
Here: nothing, and we’re in December.
So the only reports we have of Kyle Shanahan’s job being in jeopardy are those debunking that the idea has even crossed a single mind in 49ers HQ, and there is nothing to say otherwise.
He’s not going anywhere, via trade, unemployment, stepping down to be a quality control coach, you name it.
Laugh with John Lynch. For now, anyway.