Kyle Shanahan may Eventually Serve as both 49ers Head Coach and General Manager
Let’s face it, Kyle Shanahan wears the pants in the Shanahan/Lynch relationship. If it wasn’t clear before, it became extremely evident once the 49ers extended Shanahan, but not Lynch.
The extension goes to show that the team is simply more invested in the coach than the GM.
Understandably so. Shanahan is young, and arguably the best offensive mind in the league. He got his first head-coaching opportunity at the age of 37. Thirty-freakin-seven. Granted, Sean McVay got his first head coaching gig at the age of 30, but Shanahan is still by far the youngest head coach in the history of the franchise.
Shanahan is the face of a new wave of NFL coaches who are young, innovative, charismatic and player-oriented. Every team that has recently been in the mix for a new head coach has searched to find its own Shanahan.
After a series of horrific head-coaching hires, Jed York finally nailed it by snatching Shanahan. As it stands, in addition to Shanahan, there are a handful of others who have their hands in the 49ers personnel and decision-making.
There’s Adam Peters, Vice President of Player Personnel. There’s Paraag Marathe, President of 49ers Enterprises and EVP of Football Operations. And, of course, Lynch.
Without a doubt, it is a strong front office. But it is Shanahan’s front office. It could be only a matter of time until Shanahan has full reigns over personnel and decision-making. When and if that time comes, there will no longer be a need for a GM. This could ultimately lead to Lynch being phased out of his role and maybe even the organization.
Why Shanahan doubling down as head coach and general manager makes sense-
Take a long, hard look at the New England Patriots. They haven’t experienced a losing season since 2000, and have won six Super Bowls. The Patriots have been the best dynasty in the history of the sport since Bill Belichick took over.
A few things standout about this Patriots dynasty: Of course they had Tom Brady, one of, if not the greatest quarterback of all time. But they also have Belichick, who has served as both head coach and general manager.
Many point to the Patriots as the blueprint of building and sustaining a championship-caliber roster. What many don’t point to is that the Patriots minimized who has power within the organization. It was always owner Robert Kraft, Belichick, and then Brady earned his power down the road.
Belichick serving both roles certainly worked wonders in New England. When less people are involved in decision-making, it is easier for an individual to stay true to the vision they have for the team. Having less influences around minimizes the chances of being persuaded away from that vision.
On the other hand, having others involved in decision making can absolutely benefit the organization. However, the Patriots proved that it is not always necessary.
Outside of the Patriots, the 49ers experienced their own success when Bill Walsh was both head coach and general manager. Walsh held down both roles from when he was initially hired in 1979, throughout the 1982 season. In his third season, in 1981, Walsh led the team to their first championship in franchise history.
As GM, Walsh drafted players such as: Joe Montana (3rd round), Dwight Clark (10th round), Keena Turner (2nd round), Ronnie Lott (1st round), and Bubba Parris (2nd round),
Following the 1982 season, the team hired John McVay as general manager, a role he would hold throughout 1990. Even though a GM was eventually hired, the 49ers did experience a high level of success with Walsh in both spots.
Why Shanahan could flourish in both roles-
Shanahan is the ultimate football guy and has been around the game forever. His dad, Mike Shanahan, has experience as both a head coach and in a front-office role. If there is a coach in the game in line to be the next Belichick, it’s Shanahan. He is groomed for it.
When it comes to drafting, Shanahan already has a few mistakes under his belt. His first hand-picked quarterback was CJ Beathard, and he convinced John Lynch to draft running back Joe Williams after he was off the team’s draft board.
Lynch had his fair share of mistakes in the 2017 draft as well, but the duo have drafted extremely well ever since. You learn from your mistakes, and Lynch and Shanahan have both done that thus far
Going back to the selections of Beathard and Williams, it was relatively made clear that Shanahan has more power than Lynch. Not too many coaches have the power to have their GM select a player in the fourth round, who was completely off their draft board.
Shanahan has a knack for finding talent and knows exactly what he is looking for in each and every player. Players like Kyle Juszczyk and Deebo Samuel were brought in to play a very specific role in Shanahan’s offense and vision as a whole.
Juszczyk and Samuel are just two examples of Shanahan knowing what skill sets he wants from each of his players, and knowing exactly how to maximize their abilities.
If Shanahan ever takes over both positions, it is likely the team would still retain the services of contract guru Marathe and have a Vice President of Player Personnel like Peters.
This would help a great deal with contract negotiations, and having a lesser-influential-thinking partner in regards to personnel decisions.
Why the sky's the limit for Shanahan-
Shanahan is 40 years old and already has three seasons as a head coach under his belt. If you look at the great coaches in the history of the NFL, many of them coached into or beyond their mid to late 60s.
Even today, many coaches have surpassed or are approaching the age of 60. What this likely means is that Shanahan could easily be a head coach for at least another 20 years.
From what we’ve seen over the course of the last three years, Shanahan has the potential to be up there with some of the best coaches in history.
With six more years on his contract, Shanahan could easily make a run to become one of the winningest coaches in franchise history. The top three coaches in terms of wins are: George Seifert (98-30), Bill Walsh (92-59-1), and Buck Shaw (79-31-4). Shanahan currently sits at (23-25).
Age-wise, Shanahan has a significant jump on the aforementioned coaches. Shaw and Walsh became the head coaches for the team at the age of 47, and Seifert at the age of 49.
Shanahan can pave his own path towards becoming one of the best coaches ever, and it may not be necessary to have a general manager standing in his way.
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