Kyle Shanahan has cemented his place as one of the best head coaches in the NFL. He’s led the San Francisco 49ers to two Super Bowls and four NFC Championship Games in his eight years at the helm.
However, this season hasn’t turned out to be like many of the others. With a record of 5-7 and a slim chance of making the playoffs, NFL analyst Mike Florio outlines a win-win situation for Shanahan and the Niners in 2025.
Mike Florio Suggests a Trade of Kyle Shanahan
After the 49ers’ humiliating Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Florio appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show.” He suggested Shanahan could revive his career and benefit Caleb Williams with a trade to the Chicago Bears in 2025.
“I feel like Shanahan and the 49ers are getting close to the point where they would benefit mutually from a fresh start,” said Florio. “If you can get Shanahan and join him at the hip with Caleb Williams, are you kidding me? So, I hope in this coming cycle we begin to entertain the possibility of trying to do one of these Gruden-style trades.”
Mike Florio on his thoughts about the Bears trading for Kyle Shanahan:
“I feel like Shanahan and the 49ers are getting close to the point where they would benefit mutually from a fresh start. If you can get Shanahan and join him at the hip with Caleb Williams, are you kidding… pic.twitter.com/kkrvXfQAO0
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 4, 2024
Florio highlighted that the Niners have been unable to get over the hump with Shanahan at the helm in the past years. This season’s injury crisis, added to the pressure of late signings, has helped scuttle their chances, and in Florio’s view, it would be mutually beneficial for each party to step away.
Shanahan Cuts a Disappointed Figure After the Bills’ Loss
The Niners proved ineffective on both sides of the ball during their 35-10 loss against the Bills. In his postgame press conference, Shanahan didn’t try to paint an unrealistically optimistic picture. “Real disappointed,” Shanahan said regarding his team’s second consecutive 25+point-loss.
“We have a lot more pride than this. We definitely know we have some people out, but we can play a lot better than that. Having three turnovers each of these weeks and getting none, when you do that and you don’t stop the run like we haven’t in these past two weeks, you usually can guess the outcome.”
In Week 14 Shanahan will face off against the team that Florio wants to see him heading next season — the 49ers will welcome the Bears to Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.