Why Kyle Shanahan nearly bailed on the 49ers before he began
There would be no Jimmy G, nor Trey Lance and more than likely no Super Bowl appearance. It’s fair to say Kyle Shanahan has changed the direction of a 49ers franchise who struggled to reclaim relevancy in the years post-Jim Harbaugh.
In an twist of events, Shanahan nearly bailed on an interview with San Francisco toward the end of the 2016 as he and the Atlanta Falcons geared up for Super Bowl LI.
Shanahan, then-Offensive Coordinator for Atlanta revealed to Peter Scharger and Sean McVay on the Flying Coach podcast, he nearly removed himself from the running.
“I almost canceled one just because I was so exhausted, and I almost canceled San Francisco,” Shanahan said, via David Bonilla of 49ersWebZone.com.
“It had nothing to do with San Francisco — it was just my whole goal in life was to be a head coach and stay a head coach. It wasn’t just to become one and say I got there.”
Then, San Francisco were nowhere near the tantalizing prospect of current day. The 49ers finished the 2016 season with a record of 2-14 and ranked 27th and 32nd in offense and defense respectively.
“When I looked at San Francisco, I was nervous because they didn’t have that setup, and they had changed coaches three years in a row,” Shanahan revealed.
“Their offense was ranked 31st. Their defensed was ranked 32nd. It wasn’t the best situation.”
Thankfully, for the Faithful Shanahan followed through with the interview and fell in love with the prospect.
“My wife asked me which [team] I liked the most,” Shanahan said. “I’m like, ‘Actually, the Niners is the only one I really feel good about,’ and it shocked her because she knew how I talked the morning before.”