49ers Give Kyle Shanahan New Six-Year Contract Through 2025
This is well deserved.
On Monday, the 49ers gave head coach Kyle Shanahan a new six-year contract through 2025, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Shanahan previously had signed a six-year contract with the 49ers in 2017. Now, he has a newer, more lucrative six-year deal. Shanahan now is one of the five highest-paid head coaches in the NFL, per Schefter.
When Shanahan took over the 49ers, they had arguably the worst roster in the NFL. And during Shanahan's first season, he lost 10 of his first 11 games. But then the 49ers traded for Jimmy Garoppolo and built one of the best teams in the NFL in just three seasons. Remarkable.
Now the 49ers have an elite roster AND an elite coaching staff. In 2021, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh could become a head coach on another team, while passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur and running game coordinator Mike McDaniel could be offensive coordinators elsewhere. The whole league wants a piece of what Shanahan has built.
Shanahan has established himself as one of the most creative and forward-thinking offensive coaches in the league -- he's in the highest echelon with Andy Reid, Sean Payton and Bruce Arians. And Shanahan is much younger than those three -- he's only 40. He might end up having a better career than all of them.
When the 49ers hired Shanahan, he was a 37-year-old offensive coordinator who had just lost a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl. The 49ers could have changed their minds after the Super Bowl and rescinded their offer -- Shanahan's stock was down. But they didn't rescind their offer. They believed in him.
Good for the 49ers, and good for Shanahan.
