49ers’ leaders endorse Shanahan, Lynch extensions
SANTA CLARA — Nick Bosa is not the only one who agreed to an extension and pay raise before the 49ers’ season. So did coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, much to Bosa’s approval.
“I appreciate being in an organization that’s stable,” Bosa said Wednesday. “I’ve seen other teams with friends, my brother (Joey of the Los Angeles Chargers), people who have not really had a stable working environment, and I’m lucky to have that.”
Bosa, three weeks after signing the NFL’s richest contract for a non-quarterback, lauded the cohesiveness of Shanahan and Lynch, as well as their up-front communication skills.
“There’s a lot of shadiness in the NFL,” Bosa said. “People treat different echelons of players differently throughout (other teams’) building, and it seems pretty consistent with (Shanahan), whether you’re practice squad or one of the starters.”
“People talk about it a lot about how real he is, about how authentic he is as a guy and as a coach,” linebacker Fred Warner said of Shanahan. “Players, they relate to that. That’s why he’s able to rally the troops every single week. I think he’s the best.”
Team ownership thinks so, too, having hired Shanahan and Lynch as first-timers to their roles in 2017. There’s been no official comment from CEO Jed York on what’s only been announced as “multi-year” extensions.
Lynch declined to specify how long the contracts run, and the team did not offer further details, but it’s safe to assume pay raises were involved. When they signed their previous extensions in 2020, Shanahan’s was to run through 2025, Lynch’s through 2024.
Shanahan noted that it would be “very cool” to become the longest coach in 49ers history, which is currently a 10-year standard set by Bill Walsh as he delivered their first three Super Bowl titles from 1979-88.
Shanahan’s immediate future involves leading the 49ers (3-0) into Sunday’s home game against the Arizona Cardinals (1-2). Shanahan confirmed that the extensions were agreed upon before the season started, as reported by this news organization Friday.
“Doing it before the season started meant a lot to me,” Shanahan, 42, said. “It showed you that the people we were with, that we believe in each other, just by what could happen, whether we were 0-3 or 3-0.”
The Shanahan-Lynch relationship has paid dividends not only in crafting a championship-contending roster, which they’ve done via the draft’s hits (and misses), via money-well-spent free agency, and via some steals on the trade market (see: Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Jimmy Garoppolo, Emmanuel Sanders).
Shanahan’s impact goes beyond his offensive ingenuity as a play caller of a motion-based, space-creating, yards-after-the-catch scheme. “He’s offensive-minded but he knows that defensive line and the front seven (defenders) is where you win games, so I like that,” Bosa added.
Said safety Tashaun Gipson: “As crazy as it sounds, the dude is obsessed with football. His approach, when he talks, this is his life.”
Three of Shanahan’s former coordinators have gone on to become NFL coaches — Robert Saleh (Jets), Mike McDaniel (Dolphins) and DeMeco Ryans (Texans).
Shanahan’s father, Mike, spent 14 years as the Denver Broncos coach (1995-2008) and won two Super Bowls with them, after serving as the 49ers offensive coordinator on their 1994 team that also won the Lombardi Trophy, with son, Kyle, as a ballboy and Saratoga High teenager.
“To coach anywhere a long time, I know what that means, and I’m extremely grateful to have that opportunity, and mainly for my family to be somewhere for so long, which is cool,” said the younger Shanahan, whose previous longest coaching stops were four-year stints with Houston (2006-09) and Washington (2010-13).
Since Shanahan was convinced by York to join the 49ers and after picking Lynch as the general manager, they’ve overcome an 0-8 start to that initial season, and they’ve reached three NFC Championship Games in the past four years, with their 2019 team falling in the Super Bowl.
“Sometimes when you come into a situation that looks really hard to win the first couple of years, you’re nervous about it, because you know how the pressure goes when you lose, no matter what people say. It gets tough to stick with the plan,” Shanahan said. “That’s what made it so exciting the first time meeting with Jed and the commitment he gave us and what he said. That’s what made us make the right decisions those first couple of years and help build it the right way.”
Gambling in the 2021 draft to select Trey Lance No. 3 overall did not pan out, but ownership’s trust never wavered in the Shanahan-Lynch dynamic, though last season’s discovery of quarterback Brock Purdy surely helped allay any fears.
“That’s what got us to come here, to be patient and do it right. He hasn’t changed ever since,” Shanahan said of York. “I love being in a building where you trust each other.”
WIDE RECEIVER HEALTH
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel did not practice as he’s also dealing with a knee issue, on top of Thursday night’s rib injury. Also out was wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who ran on the side with a shin injury. Brandon Aiyuk was limited in practice and wore a non-contact jersey because of his Week 2 shoulder injury.
OTHER PRACTICE NOTES
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw (ankle) ran on the side but did not practice, as was the case Monday. Left tackle Trent Williams rested, as has been his Wednesday routine in recent years.
Cornerback Ambry Thomas (knee) was limited.
Debuting in practice after being signed to the practice squad: former Cal tight end Jake Tonges, safety Tre Norwood and cornerback Kendall Sheffield, the latter of whom played with Bosa at Ohio State in 2017-18. Sheffield also played with nickel back Isaiah Oliver on the Atlanta Falcons from 2019-21 and spent much of last season on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad.
Running back Jeremy McNichols was released a day after being re-signed.
CARDINALS ON RADAR
Gipson counted himself among those surprised the Cardinals won their first game Sunday by downing the previously unbeaten Dallas Cowboys. “When you watch the tape, they were the more physical team, and that usually results in a win,” Gipson said. “… The most dangerous team is the team with nothing to lose. They’re playing fearless and with confidence.”
DOWN GO THE IRISH
Bosa is feeling fresh from the weekend off, part of which he enjoyed watching his alma mater, Ohio State, win at Notre Dame. “That was fun to watch. It was a really good game, a defensive battle,” Bosa said. “I think I was more happy to see Notre Dame lose than Ohio State win.”
TAYLOR SWIFT FALLOUT
A few days after Taylor Swift showed up at the Kansas City Chiefs’ game to cheer on and leave with Travis Kelce, some 49ers players were asked which of their teammates might date a pop star. The best answer: “Everyone’s already got nice ladies at home,” defensive lineman Kerry Hyder Jr. said.