Why the 49ers are Extremely Fortunate to Have Kyle Shanahan

Kyle Shanahan signed an extension with the 49ers along with John Lynch on Sept. 22.

The exact duration of the extension is to be determined, but it is a "multi-year" one. This is the second extension given to Shanahan since becoming the head coach of the 49ers back in 2017. The extension has been well deserved given where the 49ers were at when he was hired. It is a decision, both extension and initial hiring, that has to make the 49ers feel extremely fortunate to have Shanahan.

One coach who was a candidate to be hired by the 49ers in 2017 was current Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. In fact, he was the first coach the 49ers were targeting before Shanahan. He could've been the 49ers head coach instead of Shanahan, but McDaniels declined to take the next step and elected to stay as offensive coordinator for the Patriots. McDaniels would then go on to be the Raiders head coach in 2022, and so far it is looking like a DISASTER.

Look no further than Sunday Night Football when the Raiders hosted the Steelers. Facing an eight point deficit with four minutes left in the game, McDaniels chose to kick a field goal at the Steelers' 29 yard line instead of going for it on fourth down. Luckily, the Steelers gifted the Raiders new life with a penalty that gave them an automatic first down. The Raiders would end up facing another fourth down, but were at the Steelers' eight yard line this time. Once again, McDaniels chose to go for the field goal to cut the deficit to five points. The Raiders wouldn't get the ball again until there was roughly 10 seconds left, which ended up being moot.

McDaniels completely proved why he isn't worthy of being a head coach. Under no circumstance is kicking a field goal there logical. There's been plenty of examples before, but that sequence instantly reminded me how fortunate the 49ers have to be that McDaniels didn't take the job back in 2017. The 49ers would have still been in shambles following Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly. Now, they have one of the best coaches in the league in Shanahan. The majority of teams in the league would fire their coach if Shanahan was available.

He isn't perfect by any means and isn't absolved of any criticism. That comes with the territory of being a head coach. Shanahan has made his mistakes and deserves to be criticized for them like with Trey Lance, but all of that is just a hiccup in the grand scheme of things because the 49ers have continued to win. They have been a dominant force in the league since 2019 outside of an injury plagued 2020 season. It made too much sense to extend Shanahan again, and after seeing another McDaniels blunder, they should feel extremely fortunate that they dodged a bullet with him and anyone else.