NBC Sports’ Mike Florio suggested earlier this week that Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren general manager Ryan Poles should pick up the phone to inquire what the San Francisco 49ers would want in return for head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan’s status with the 49ers has been the subject of speculation this season, as San Francisco has underperformed in 2024. The 49ers were a favorite in August to win the Super Bowl. Shanahan’s squad is 5-7 before they’re set to play the 4-8 Chicago Bears at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers GM on Kyle Shanahan
On Friday, 49ers general manager John Lynch appeared to pour cold water on the idea Shanahan would be coaching anywhere but for San Francisco in 2024.
“I find the whole discussion on Kyle and stuff rather comical,” Lynch said via Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. “We’ve won 4 of last 5 division championships and been to 2 Super Bowls. The standard here is to win (Super Bowls) and we’ve fallen short. But we have an excellent head coach.”
Bizarre fan fiction
CBS Sports Jonathan Jones had a strong reaction to Lynch’s statement on Friday, suggesting media members who peddled Shanahan rumors should have known better.
“It’s bizarre fan fiction that too many people who should know better have dabbled in,” Jones posted on X.
It's bizarre fan fiction that too many people who should know better have dabbled in https://t.co/7BqNfJI6lN
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) December 6, 2024
Shanahan is 69-58 in his eight seasons with the 49ers. San Francisco has made and lost two Super Bowls during that span.
Would Shanahan be the right fit for the Bears?
Frankly, the Bears should be skeptical about trading for Shanahan (or hiring Shanahan if he’s fired) in the offseason. While he’s won plenty of games and could help with Caleb Williams’ development, there are cons with Shanahan’s approach. After all, there would be a reason why San Francisco would be done with him, if he were to end up in Chicago.
Poles explained during Monday’s press conference that Eberflus was fired during the season because of how the Bears were not able to finish games. Shanahan has been under fire in San Francisco this season for a similar reason. Shanahan has blown 18 double-digit leads since 2017, many of those 10+ point leads coming in the fourth quarter.
Chicago might be more inclined to go with a coach that doesn’t have an issue closing out games.
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