Kyle

Shanahan

It’s the responsible move after the 49ers down year. The 49ers have been consistently messaging that nothing will happen, of course, but to get it straight from the owner’s mouth is notable. Shanahan has a career 70-61 record with the 49ers and has appeared in two Super Bowls while winning the division three times. The 49ers suffered an unfortunate run of bad injury luck this year and, with a fourth-place schedule, will probably be a good bet to rebound in 2025.

The move was announced as a multi-year extension, though no concrete details have been leaked yet. Keeping Shanahan under contract is a no-brainer for the 49ers. Three games into his seventh season as the boss in San Francisco, Shanahan is 55-46 with 22 of his losses coming in his first two seasons. He has mounted successful seasons with a rotating cast of quarterbacks at his disposal and is widely thought of as one of the greatest offensive minds the league has ever seen. General manager John Lynch was also extended, keeping the band together for years to come.

Maiocco lists three primary reasons that hint at the possibility of a more aggressive unit in 2023 including a full offseason with running back Christian McCaffrey, the team’s trust in quarterback Brock Purdy, and the offseason departure of veteran kicker Robbie Gould. Considering San Francisco converted just seven of 17 fourth-and-short attempts in 2022, due in part to the accuracy of Gould, the bold hypothesis could come to fruition with the team moving forward with a rookie place kicker. The other two reasonings provided would also theoretically support a more aggressive offensive unit, but the history of head coach Kyle Shanahan suggests short yardage decisions are more based on game environment than on a desire to optimize every offensive possession. Using that reasoning, it is much more likely to require a dip in defensive performance to ignite a more aggressive offense, something that may or may not change in the new season after the 49ers ranked first in defensive DVOA and points allowed per drive in 2022.

Shanahan, who had his power over personnel decisions stripped in Cleveland, asked for his release from the team and was granted it. He knows he’ll have teams beating down the door to interview him about both head coaching and offensive coordinator positions. The massive quarterback hole in Buffalo is a concern, but they do have plenty of talent everywhere else.

Maiocco added that general manager John Lynch said that the team did not pressure players into getting the vaccine. Instead, Lynch said the team chose to “educate them as much as possible” and communicate effectively. With a slew of players hitting the reserve/COVID-19 list to open training camp, teams with higher vaccination rates may experience smoother training camps with a higher portion of their players available to practice.

The league is obviously trying to maximize TV ratings until the very moment Roger Goodell announces the No. 3 pick. While that likely gives Niners fans a sickening feeling, preserving the suspense will only make this draft that much more exciting/frustrating/tear-jerking at day’s end. Mac Jones (-286) remains the favorite for San Francisco’s selection at PointsBet, followed by Trey Lance (+240), Justin Fields (+500), and Kyle Pitts (+2500).

“We felt like we had a team that can compete,” Lynch said. “We went to ownership, said ‘hey things are looking good, we want to make this (trade), but we don’t want to say goodbye to Jimmy.’” Per Lynch, 49ers ownership signed off on keeping both a rookie and the 29-year-old veteran under contract for 2021. It confirms what was already known: the Niners will be adding someone under center at No. 3, and Garoppolo is in fact part of the team’s plans ... for now. (Coach Kyle Shanahan added that the team wouldn’t “rule out a trade” if they’re “absolutely blown away.”) Both Lynch and Shanahan are scheduled to be in attendance for Mac Jones’, Trey Lance’s, and Justin Fields’ (rescheduled) pro days.

Shanahan’s comments on dual-threat QBs came months before the Niners moved up to the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- a move that ensures the team is eventually moving on from Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers will likely have their choice of Trey Lance, Justin Fields -- mobile quarterbacks -- and traditional pocket passer Mac Jones with the third pick. “Things change, people change,” Shanahan said in December. “You start to see you can win football games with any type of quarterback as long as they are good enough and you can be good enough in hundreds of different ways. ... So I evaluate quarterbacks in terms of trying to find people who can have a chance to be one of those elite-type guys and there’s lots of different ways to do it. You can see now there’s plenty of different ways, so I don’t think that’ll ever change.” Maiocco said Lance and Fields “are likely evaluated as a grade below Jones” in accuracy and anticipation -- traits Shanahan has valued as an offensive coordinator and head coach. Whoever the Niners take at No. 3 will have a decent shot of overtaking the injury-plagued Garoppolo in 2021.

Both games were scheduled to be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara but local health officials shut down all collegiate and professional sports in the area due to Covid concerns. State Farm Stadium in Arizona has only recently begun allowing friends and family (and not the public) into home games, keeping travel from 49ers fans at bay at this time. There’s still a chance the Niners return to Santa Clara for its season finale (and final home game) against the Seahawks on January 3.

Santa Clara County, where the 49ers’ home stadium is located, recently released new COVID-19 restrictions that banned all contact sports and mandated a 14-day quarantine for anyone traveling into the area from 150 miles away. With no exceptions made for their professional football team, the 49ers are unable to play their home games in the Bay Area for now. The Cardinals are reportedly willing to accommodate their NFC West opponent. The 49ers could also move to a stadium in Texas.