The 49ers are the only NFL team not allowed to have coaches return to their team headquarters.
But 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan certainly is not complaining.
“I'm not too upset about it,” Shanahan said Thursday on a video call with Bay Area reporters. “Yeah, you want every advantage possible, but our county is not there yet, and it doesn't bother me that much because I do understand.
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“Plus, the players aren't allowed in. Us coaches, we can meet like we're doing right now on Zoom. We can go to the office and do it also. So it doesn't bother me if coaches want to go up to the office right now and get some stuff done because we haven't been there in 90 days.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell declared in a memo Thursday to the 32 teams that coaching staffs now can work from the team facilities -- provided local jurisdictions are allowing it. Previously, up to 75 people per day could be at the complexes, but coaches and players not seeking medical treatment were not allowed.
The 49ers closed their Santa Clara facility on March 13 due to concerns about spreading COVID-19 during the global pandemic. Health officials in Santa Clara County are slowly phasing in the reopening of businesses. But county guidelines have not allowed for the reopening of the 49ers’ facility at Levi’s Stadium.
Shanahan does not believe the 49ers are lagging behind with a competitive disadvantage because other coaching staffs around the league can now gather. The 49ers have conducted their offseason program virtually with video conference meetings involving coaches and players.
San Francisco 49ers
“I would feel differently if other players were allowed in the building in other places,” Shanahan said. “That would be a huge disadvantage for us, but until (coaches) can start working with players, it doesn't bother me.”
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In the meantime, Shanahan is spending all of his time at home with his wife, Mandy, and their three young children. And he is finding the benefits – and downsides – to not going to the office for the past three months.
“It's been a lot of fun,” Shanahan said. “(But) dad's not as cool as he used to be because now I've been home 90 days straight.
“It's just been so fun though, to kind of be on your own schedule, to actually have breakfast with the kids, to sit there. My kids race down in the morning and they watch ‘The Office,’ so we've probably watched ‘The Office’ for about half an hour to start each day. We’ve been through all nine seasons about three times and it gets funnier each time.”
Shanahan said he is taking part in a lot of activities with his kids, including basketball and skateboarding. He even tried to construct a zip line in the backyard that he originally attached to a palm tree.
“I found out palm trees don't have deep roots, so I had to take it off the palm tree and off the pool,” Shanahan said. “Then I had to call someone to help. So I needed help. But we've got a cool zip line up. My family has been doing that, so that's been fun.”
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Shanahan said he is eagerly anticipating the re-opening of businesses – but not because he is yearning to get back into the 49ers team headquarters.
“I would love to take the kids somewhere, go see a movie, Dave & Busters, anything,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll try to go to the beaches here and there, but that's tough, too. Only can walk back and forth so much. I want to sit and post up somewhere.
“So, hopefully it'll get a little bit better here, but I promise when this ends, there's going to be stuff about quarantine that we did miss because it's very rare you get to hang around with your loved ones this much.”