Kyle Shanahan - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On 49ers’ GM Search

January 27th, 2017 at 12:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Led by CEO Jed York and executive vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe, the 49ers have reached out to 11 candidates this offseason in their quest to find a general manager. While the Niners are seemingly down to two finalists for the position – Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough and Vikings assistant GM George Paton – the saga isn’t necessarily nearing a conclusion. On the contrary, it’s “by no means” certain the 49ers will hire McDonough or Paton, and passing on each would cause them to reopen their search, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter).

La Canfora’s report jibes with what a source told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com earlier this week – that “it’s not a lock” either McDonough or Paton will land the GM role in San Francisco. If the 49ers don’t tab one of those two, it’ll likely be the result of neither being able to sync with soon-to-be head coach Kyle Shanahan. The current Falcons offensive coordinator will take a break from Super Bowl LI preparation this weekend to meet with McDonough and Paton, who’s reportedly willing to take the Colts’ GM job.

Should one of McDonough or Paton hit it off with Shanahan in the coming days, the 49ers could have their next GM in place as early as Saturday, writes Cam Inman of the Mercury News. Otherwise, they’ll be back at square one and set to drag their GM search into a second month.

Both longtime head coach Mike Shanahan, Kyle’s father, and ex-Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik have come up as possibilities to take front office jobs with the 49ers. They might be worth keeping an eye on, then, and the same goes for Falcons director of football operations Nick Polk, Jaguars director of player personnel Chris Polian, former Browns executive Morocco Brown and Redskins exec Alex Santos.

Mike Shanahan Could Take Job With 49ers

January 27th, 2017 at 11:32am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Two-time Super Bowl champion Mike Shanahan has no interest in coaching anymore, but he has expressed a desire to work in a team’s front office. That could happen soon, as there’s “increasing chatter in league circles” that Shanahan will join his son, Falcons offensive coordinator and 49ers head-coach-in-waiting Kyle Shanahan, in San Francisco, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

It’s unclear which role the elder Shanahan would take on with the Niners, who are also lacking a general manager. Regardless, the team wouldn’t be thrilled to welcome him, according to Florio, but it might be the cost of doing business for a club with only one head coaching candidate remaining as February nears. Given the 49ers’ desperate situation, Kyle Shanahan “has a tremendous amount of power” over the organization, writes Florio.

Another stint in San Francisco would be the second for Mike Shanahan, who previously served as its offensive coordinator from 1992-94. The former Raiders, Broncos and Redskins head coach was also under consideration to return to the 49ers as their sideline leader in the prior two offseasons. Shanahan, 64, interviewed to become the 49ers’ head coach, though they ended up tabbing Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly in those searches. Now, their decisions to choose those one-and-done coaches over Mike Shanahan could lead to the hiring of him as an executive and his son as their head coach this year.

AFC Notes: Cousins, Jets, Steelers, Bengals

January 24th, 2017 at 3:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets’ decision to hire Todd Bowles as their head coach instead of Dan Quinn in 2015 may have cost them a chance to acquire then-backup quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Redskins, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Quinn’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta, Kyle Shanahan, would have come with him to New York but would not have wanted to work with Geno Smith, sources told Mehta. Shanahan would have pushed to acquire Cousins, whom he knew from their time together in Washington in 2012. A big Cousins fan, Shanahan was reportedly “integral” in the Redskins’ drafting of the ex-Michigan State signal-caller. Along with Shanahan, Quinn would have brought former Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik with him to work in the Jets’ front office. Dominik is close with Redskins president Bruce Allen, and their friendship could have further helped lead the way to a Cousins trade, writes Mehta.

As we ponder what could have been, here’s more from New York and a few other AFC cities:

While Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is considering retirement, it will be a surprise if the 13th-year man doesn’t return in 2017, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). In the seemingly likely event Roethlisberger does come back for his age-35 season, the Steelers should still give serious thought to using a high-round pick on a potential successor, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
The Jets’ previously reported interest in Saints wide receivers coach John Morton has already led to an interview. The two sides met Tuesday, and Morton remains in the running for the job, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
It appeared the NFL had lifted running back Karlos Williams‘ 10-game suspension when the Steelers brought him back on a reserve/futures deal Monday, but that’s not the case. Williams still has one game remaining on the substance abuse-related ban the league handed him in November, tweets Fowler. He’ll be eligible to take the field again in Week 2 of next season.
The belief is that the Bengals are talking to pending free agent kicker Randy Bullock about a new contract, writes Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. Re-signing Bullock wouldn’t stop the Bengals from searching for other options at the position, notes Hobson. The 27-year-old Bullock didn’t join the Bengals until mid-December, when they claimed him off waivers from division-rival Pittsburgh after releasing Mike Nugent. Bullock, who was a member of three teams in 2016 (the Giants were the other), connected on 5 of 6 field goal tries and all six extra points in three games with Cincinnati.
The Broncos made a minor change to their Vance Joseph-led staff Tuesday, promoting special teams quality control coach Chris Gould to assistant special teams coach. They’re also set to retain Klint Kubiak, the son of previous Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, as their offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.

Colts To Interview 49ers GM Finalist George Paton

January 23rd, 2017 at 12:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts’ list of candidates for their GM role thus far consists entirely of executives who interviewed with the 49ers as well, and one may have a choice to make. George Paton will interview with the Colts, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reports.

Indianapolis requested an interview with Paton, along with Seahawks co-player personnel directors Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner, earlier today. Paton is scheduled to meet with the 49ers again on Friday or Saturday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), where he’s slated to join Falcons’ OC Kyle Shanahan, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports (via Twitter). Pelissero adds the Colts hope to meet with GM candidates in the next few days. They are also scheduled to meet with internal candidate Jimmy Raye III.

While each of the Colts’ candidates has interviewed with the 49ers, Paton is unique because he is a finalist for the San Francisco job. He’s “very much” the leader in that race, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Complicating matters, the Colts have proven to feature a more stable environment, Ryan Grigson‘s ouster notwithstanding, in recent years. The 49ers became the first team in nearly 40 years to fire first-year coaches in back-to-back years, and the Colts obviously have a long-term quarterback in Andrew Luck. Despite underwhelming at 8-8, the Colts won more games in 2016 than the 49ers did in the past two seasons combined.

A 10-year Vikings exec, Paton rejected opportunities to leave Minnesota in recent years. But this time Rick Spielman‘s top staffer appears serious about becoming a GM elsewhere.

49ers Prepared To Restart GM Search

January 23rd, 2017 at 9:08am CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers’ GM search enters its fourth week, and the team’s finalist contingent is unclear after two prospective members — since-re-signed Packers execs Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst — dropped out of the running recently. The team is prepared to reopen its search if necessary at this point, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.

Although a report hinted at this on Sunday, this runs counter to the 49ers’ initial plan of sticking with their list of initial candidates. Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals VP of player personnel Terry McDonough continue to reside as the de facto finalists after the Jed York-led nine-man search. New candidates could include Falcons director of football operations Nick Polk or Jaguars director of player personnel Chris Polian. La Canfora mentions former Browns executive Morocco Brown, who worked with Kyle Shanahan in Cleveland, and Redskins exec Alex Santos as options if the 49ers indeed reopen this search.

In addition to York’s involvement in the search, outside trepidation regarding executive Paraag Marathe‘s influence has served as a factor during this lengthy process as well, La Canfora notes.

La Canfora also passes along that Shanahan would likely receive control over the team’s 53-man roster if he’s hired to become the next head coach as expected, describing the upcoming scenario as the new GM essentially reporting to the coach. This also contradicts a previous San Francisco direction, with word coming out the Atlanta OC was comfortable working alongside a GM and didn’t need control over the roster.

The 49ers are now potentially competing for executives with the Colts, who fired GM Ryan Grigson over the weekend. Indianapolis is eyeing internal candidate Jimmy Raye III, whom the 49ers interviewed but didn’t categorize as a finalist, as an early frontrunner for the job.

Latest On 49ers’ Head Coach/GM Search

January 22nd, 2017 at 11:45am CST by Rory Parks

The 49ers will bring in current Falcons’ OC Kyle Shanahan for a second interview either tomorrow or Tuesday if Atlanta should lose the NFC Championship Game today, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). If the Falcons should win, Shanahan’s second interview will take place on Friday. The 37-year-0ld is, of course, considered the runaway favorite to land the team’s head coaching job, and the second interview appears to be more of a formality than anything else.

In the meantime, San Francisco is continuing to plug away with its GM search, but Michael Silver of NFL.com tweets that long-time NFL coach Mike Shanahan (Kyle Shanahan’s father) will not be joining the team in a formal role. Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough are currently viewed as the leading candidates for the 49ers’ GM position, though Kyle Shanahan has no obvious connection with either man. Per Silver (Twitter link), if team CEO Jed York does not sense a fit between Shanahan and Paton or McDonough, he may reopen the GM search.

Silver adds (Twitter links) that York has not decided whether Shanahan or the new GM will have formal control of the 53-man roster, and that York does not view roster control as a “major issue.” He is putting a larger emphasis on creating a strong partnership between coach and GM.

Silver views Paton as the top choice at the moment, with McDonough running second (Twitter link). Had Mike Shanahan returned to the team as a head coach, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that McDonough would have been his choice.

Coaching Notes: 49ers, Colts, Jags, Redskins

January 21st, 2017 at 9:01am CST by Ben Levine

49ers CEO Jed York has been significantly younger than his two previous head coaches, Chip Kelly and Jim Harbaugh. As a result, 49ers radio host Tim Ryan believes the executive will have an easier time clicking with new coach Kyle Shanahan, who is only 37-years-old.

“I think the chips fell in favor of Jed and ownership this time,” Ryan (via Eric Branch of SFGate.com). “I think they ended up getting the right guy. I think (Shanahan is) perfect for Jed York, their ability to grow this franchise together. I think (he’s) someone that he actually feels comfortable with sitting in a room and discussing a variety of topics. I can’t imagine being an owner and if you look at Harbaugh — and excluding Jim Tomsula. And I played four years with Harbaugh (with the Bears) so I’m entitled to say what I’m going to say. And then with coach Chip Kelly and kind of how his – I don’t want to say his ego – but just kind of how he conducts himself.

“It’s, I can’t imagine being an owner and being afraid to ask a question. Not afraid, but ‘Man, should I ask this question to this guy?’ Because those guys walk around like you ask them anything it’s ‘I’m going to shut you down.’ I think ultimately for Jed and the ability to communicate with his head coach, and this is his guy moving forward. You look at their ages, you look at their similarities. I’m sure they crossed paths somewhere as kids when Mike (Shanahan) was here (with the 49ers) as the offensive coordinator and Kyle was a kid and Jed was a kid. But I think, ultimately, it’s going to end up being the best hire from a relationship standpoint.”

Let’s take a look at some more coaching notes from around the NFL…

Colts owner Jim Irsay has reportedly been looking for ways to upgrade his head coach and general manager, and Stephen Holder of IndyStar.com believes that this could lead to some issues next season. In fact, one current Colts players believes coach Chuck Pagano is already fighting for his job. “I think it’ll be really tough for Chuck,” said the anonymous player. “Our owner wants a championship, and if he doesn’t get it, then it’s going to be a failure. And that’s tough.”
The Jaguars announced that they’ve named Keenan McCardell their new wide receivers coach. The former wideout played six seasons in Jacksonville, with his best season coming in 2000 (94 receptions, 1,207 yards, five touchdowns). The two-time Pro Bowler previously served as receivers coach for the Redskins and Maryland.
Former NFL signal-caller Kevin O’Connell is expected to be named the Redskins‘ new quarterbacks coach, reports Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports (via Twitter). O’Connell previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the Browns and as an offensive assistant for the 49ers, and Feldman notes that former quarterback was up for several college offensive coordinator gigs.

NFC Coaching Notes: 49ers, Seahawks, Rams, Bears, Vikings

January 20th, 2017 at 12:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Gus Bradley‘s hesitancy surrounding the Chargers’ DC job was believed to have been connected to an opportunity with the 49ers under Tom Cable. But now that Cable withdrew his name from consideration, the Bolts still don’t have a decision from Bradley. However, buzz around league circles points to a Kyle Shanahan-Bradley setup in San Francisco making sense, Alex Marvez of the Sporting News tweets.

This comes after a report indicating Bradley “spurned” the 49ers when asked if he would team with Shanahan. It would help explain Bradley remaining without a job after being coveted by Anthony Lynn in Los Angeles. The 49ers have shown a willingness to target DCs, with the Bears blocking their request for a potential Vic Fangio reunion, due to having a coach in line to accept the job in Shanahan, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.

Here’s more from the 49ers and the rest of the league during the postseason hiring period.

Shanahan will not put up a fight for control over the 49ers’ 53-man roster if hired, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports. The would-be first-time HC would be fine working alongside a GM regarding the draft and prospective trades, Maiocco writes, and could meet with GM candidates on second interviews on Tuesday. The Falcons’ OC is expected to meet with the 49ers again on Tuesday.
The Seahawks hired Clint Hurtt as their defensive line coach, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. This wraps up an interesting odyssey for the former Bears’ outside linebackers coach. A previous report linked Hurtt to the Jets as their OLBs coach, with that coming after the position instructor turned down an extension with the Bears. Hurtt coached Chicago’s defensive line in 2014.
Broncos assistant defensive backs coach Samson Brown will follow Wade Phillips to and become part of the Rams‘ defensive staff, Marvez tweets. The Broncos are bringing Johnnie Lynn aboard to replace him, per Marvez. Lynn worked with new Denver DBs coach Marcus Robertson with the Raiders.
Speaking of the Bears, they hired three new assistants: Jeremiah Washburn (offensive line), Curtis Modkins (running backs) and Roy Anderson (assistant secondary). Washburn worked as the Dolphins’ O-line coach in 2016 and oversaw the Lions’ offensive front for the previous three seasons. Modkins served as the 49ers’ OC under Chip Kelly last season and previously as the Bills’ OC.
The Bears might lose assistant special teams coach Richard Hightower to the 49ers, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune notes (on Twitter). He previously worked with Shanahan, doing so in Washington from 2010-13 and in Cleveland in ’14.
Vikings assistant Kevin Stefanski will slide from running backs coach to quarterbacks coach, Caplan reports (on Twitter). Although the Vikings promoted Pat Shurmur to full-time OC, they fired QBs coach Scott Turner earlier this month. Stefanski has coached the running backs and tight ends the past three seasons but served as Minnesota’s assistant QBs coach from 2009-13. He’s been with the organization since 2006.

FO/Staff Notes: McDaniels, Lurie, Shanahan

January 19th, 2017 at 9:34am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Earlier this week, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled himself out of the race to become San Francisco’s head coach. It turns out he might be content to remain an assistant in New England until head coach Bill Belichick retires, at which point he would potentially take over, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). There are no indications the 64-year-old Belichick is pondering retirement, however, and Cole adds that McDaniels could leave the Pats after next season if either Tennessee or Detroit fires its head coach. McDaniels’ goal is to work with a general manager with “strong personnel skills,” per Cole, and he’s familiar with both Titans GM Jon Robinson and the Lions’ Bob Quinn. Those two were longtime members of New England’s front office before departing for their current jobs last offseason.

Elsewhere around the NFL…

Since the Eagles brought an end to the Chip Kelly era late in 2015, owner Jeffrey Lurie has taken on a more active role with the franchise, league sources told Tim McManus of ESPN.com. For instance, it was Lurie who pushed to re-sign quarterback Sam Bradford last offseason and Lurie who denied the Jets permission to interview quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo for their offensive coordinator vacancy earlier this month. One reason for Lurie’s involvement is head coach Doug Pederson‘s inexperience. Pederson, who’s fresh off his first season as a sideline leader, told reporters in December that he had weekly meetings – “very positive” ones, he added – with Lurie and de facto GM Howie Roseman.
The Falcons probably won’t let offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan take any of their position coaches with him if he accepts the 49ers’ head coaching job, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com hears (Twitter link). Maiocco reported Wednesday that Falcons secondary coach Marquand Manuel was a candidate to become Shanahan’s defensive coordinator in San Francisco, but that now appears unlikely.
The Jaguars are set to hire Jason Rebrovich as their assistant defensive line coach, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Jacksonville will be Rebrovich’s third stop under head coach Doug Marrone. He previously served on Marrone-led staffs at Syracuse and in Buffalo.
The Colts will not bring back wide receivers coach Lee Hull next season, relays Caplan (Twitter link). The ex-college coach lasted only one year in Indianapolis.

Coaching Notes: 49ers, Rams, Bears, Bills

January 18th, 2017 at 2:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The fact that Kyle Shanahan is the only head coaching possibility remaining in the 49ers’ once-deep pool of candidates gives him significant leverage, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Along with helping the 49ers pick their next general manager, which he’ll do next week, Shanahan is expected to become the highest-paid rookie head coach of all-time, according to Florio. Moreover, Shanahan – not his GM – will likely have final say over the roster and draft in San Francisco.

One problem the 49ers have encountered during their head coaching search is the amount of influence that CEO Jed York’s right-hand man, Paraag Marathe, has over football matters, relays Florio. While it won’t bother Shanahan enough to avoid taking the job, Marathe’s presence could become an issue down the line, Florio suggests.

In the improbable event Shanahan turns the Niners down, it would be catastrophic for a franchise whose reputation has been in serious decline since it parted with Jim Harbaugh a couple years ago, observes CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. The 49ers have fired their post-Harbaugh head coaches, Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, after one season apiece and a combined 7-25 record. And those two were not coveted around the NFL when the 49ers hired them. Rather, the team had to settle in each case, and things could get even worse this year if Shanahan stays in Atlanta and San Fran has to go back to the drawing board as February approaches.

In other coaching news…

The possibility of longtime NFL assistant Aaron Kromer serving as Rams head coach Sean McVay‘s offensive coordinator is “getting stronger,” tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. McVay wants someone with an O-line background to fill the role, and Kromer has plenty of experience in that regard. He has overseen the lines in Oakland, New Orleans and Buffalo, and has also been an offensive coordinator in Chicago.
The Bears will hire Curtis Modkins as their running backs coach, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll replace Stan Drayton, who left after Chicago’s season ended to take a job at the University of Texas. Modkins, who was the aforementioned Chip Kelly‘s offensive coordinator in San Francisco in 2016, has also coached running backs in Kansas City, Arizona and Detroit.
The Bills have named Kelly Skipper their running backs coach, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Skipper previously held those roles in Oakland and Jacksonville, two places where he worked under then-offensive coordinator Greg Olson. The connection is notable because Olson is the only known candidate for the Bills’ O-coordinator job.