Kyle Shanahan Dismisses Trade Rumors That Would Put Him in Elite Company

The 49ers’ 38–13 domination of the Bears on Sunday kept the injury-ravaged team’s playoff hopes just barely alive at 6–7.

After the game, though, Kyle Shanahan acknowledged the buzz that the Bears or another team could trade for him in the offseason. Shanahan has built a powerhouse with the 49ers, but he could be facing the reality that his aging team peaked with its two Super Bowl losses.

Shanahan addressed and dismissed the rumors Sunday. 

“I don’t know why they come out, but I don’t want to be anywhere in the world more than here,” Shanahan said postgame. “My family feels just as strong, if not a lot stronger. So I hope you guys are gonna have to kick me out of here. There’s no way I’m making that decision.”

Shanahan was referring to how coaches need to agree to be traded. General manager John Lynch backed Shanahan before the game.

“We have an excellent head coach,” Lynch said Friday on Bay Area radio station KNBR.  “And the fact people are talking about stuff like that, I do find it comical.”

Manager and head coach trades are rare, but not unprecedented. MLB teams made swaps for Lou Piniella and Ozzie Guillén, while the Clippers traded a first-round pick for Doc Rivers more than  a decade ago. 

In the NFL, coach trades almost exclusively have involved superstar, borderline Hall of Fame coaches. If Shanahan were traded, he’d be one of the very few coaches to be dealt without a Super Bowl ring. The recent history of coach trades includes:

Bill Parcells to the Jets in 1997

• New England received the Jets’ third- and fourth-round picks in the 1997 draft, a second-round pick in 1998 and a first-round pick in 1999. In a unique throw-in, the Jets also donated $300,000 to the Patriots’ charity. 

Mike Holmgren to the Seahawks in 1999

• Green Bay received Seattle’s second-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. Holmgren led the organization to Super Bowl XL, where it lost to the Steelers. He is currently a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Bill Belichick to the Patriots in 2000

• The Jets received the Patriots’ first-round pick in the 2000 draft as well as the fourth- and seventh-round picks the following year. The Patriots received the Jets’ 2001 fifth-round pick and 2002 seventh-round pick to complete the deal. 

Jon Gruden to the Buccaneers in 2002

• The Raiders received two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and $8 million in cash. In a full-circle moment, Gruden’s Bucs beat the Raiders the following year for their first Super Bowl title. 

Herm Edwards to the Chiefs in 2006

• The Jets received a fourth-round pick in the 2006 draft. 

Bruce Arians to the Buccaneers in 2019

• The Cardinals acquired a 2019 sixth-round pick in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the same draft. Arians led the Buccaneers to Super Bowl XLIII behind quarterback Tom Brady. 

Sean Payton to the Broncos in 2023

• The Broncos sent New Orleans a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick to get Payton and a 2024 third-round pick. 

The 49ers do have experience negotiating coach trades. In 2014, they were set to trade Jim Harbaugh to the Browns because the situation with Harbaugh and the Niners’ front office had gotten unworkably toxic despite his elite 44-19-1 record in four years. But rather than coach the Browns, Harbaugh was fired and ended up taking the job at Michigan, his alma mater.