It Sounds Like Kyle Shanahan Will Be the 49ers Head Coach

A couple developments this morning make it appear as though the 49ers will swoop in and hire Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as their next head coach, whether that is after Sunday’s NFC Championship Game or after the Super Bowl.

Exhibit A:

Patriots OC Josh McDaniels confirms he's staying in New England: "At this time, it's best for my family and myself to remain here."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 16, 2017

Exhibit B:

49ers are - and have been - honing in on hiring Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan as their HC, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 16, 2017

Who the hell knows the extent to which McDaniels was in competition with Shanahan to get hired, and whether it was he or the 49ers organization or some combination of the two that made the decision he’d stay in New England.

Kyle Shanahan and his father presided over an initially electric offense in Washington before some major hiccups on their way out. The younger Shanahan did not really succeed in Cleveland, but no one does. In engineering this year’s explosive Falcons offense, he has earned a shot at a head coaching opportunity.

Now the question becomes what general manager will join Shanahan in San Francisco, and whether the two of them can erase the stench of everything that’s happened with the organization since Jed York and Trent Baalke ran Jim Harbaugh out of town.