When the San Francisco 49ers “stole” Kyle Shanahan from the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, and every other team for that matter, they understood the type of person they were getting: off the charts football IQ, easy going personality and the desire to win.
General manager John Lynch had other options who may have met one or two of those qualifications, but ultimately it was Shanahan who was hired.
Shanahan went from almost winning a Super Bowl with the Falcons in 2016, to the basement which was being occupied by the 49ers. Let’s be real, that’s not an ideal situation for any new coach.