Kyle Shanahan has kept a low profile for three months, since his 49ers were dethroned as NFC champions with a 6-11 record and last-place finish.
Tuesday morning, he emerged at the NFL’s annual owners meetings in Palm Beach, Florida for a state-of-the-franchise summary.
Most fascinating: His explanation about the 49ers’ peculiar pursuit of Dre Greenlaw. which failed to prevent him from leaving for the Denver Broncos.
Most encouraging: Christian McCaffrey is “healthy and doing great.”
Most obvious: Kicker Jake Moody faces competition with a yet-to-be-named veteran.
Most likely to be on a 2025 bumper sticker: “It’s not like we cleaned everybody out. We still have big-time players.”
Here’s the best of what Shanahan said and how to interpret his comments from his media session, which followed general manager John Lynch’s Monday:
FREE AGENCY PURGE
The 49ers have lost eight starters and 19 total players in free agency. Shanahan is reluctantly on board with this offseason’s budget-conscious “recalibration” because it’s the nature of the NFL, as he sees it. “I anticipated it. I’ve known it’s coming for a while,” Shanahan said. “But no matter what you’re anticipating or ready for, it’s still not very much fun going through it. A lot of guys you care about, a lot of good players go, but it’s part of this business. It happens to everyone at some time and it’s just where we’re at right now.”
Shanahan agreed that the 2023 Los Angeles Rams and the 2024 Buffalo Bills offered blueprints for quickly succeeding after roster turnover. And he doesn’t pretend to be a bystander. “I’m a part of it all. It’s not like you’re sitting down there and just coaching and blowing a whistle. You understand how the salary cap works to a degree. … You can’t always just swing for the fence. If you do, it’s going to balance out over the years and that’s why the NFL is a pretty balanced league.”
FLYING TO GREENLAW
For the first time in nine years together, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took a recruiting trip for one of their own free agents. Their flight to Texas went in vain three weeks ago: Greenlaw did not decommit from his three-year, $31.5 million deal with the Broncos, where he’ll be thrust into the middle linebacker role he couldn’t have with Fred Warner as his 49ers teammate.
“We would have done that in the past if it came down to it, but when you’re going through the recruiting part, when he’s committed to someone else, we wanted to see Dre face-to-face. He happened to live in Texas, so it was a little farther and we couldn’t just meet him at our facility. John and I wanted to fly down and talk to him and give ourselves one last chance.”
Not only did the Broncos poach Greenlaw but they also signed 2022 All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, or as Shanahan said: “Two of my favorite guys to work with in my career.”
RUNNING BACK DEPTH
Christian McCaffrey is returning to full health after an injury-marred 2023, but that won’t stop the 49ers from an annual search for running back depth in the draft. “Of course we’re set with McCaffrey but every single year we’ve gone through this — except two years (2022, ’23) — we’ve gone through four running backs. Most teams do,” Shanahan said. “You always have to be prepared for that. But Christian is healthy and doing great. We have Isaac (Guerendo) in there working. Was pumped to get Patrick (Taylor) back. We’ll see if we add someone in the draft but you’d like to have one every year.”
While Shanahan noted that financial constraints prompted the 49ers to trade 2024 rushing leader Jordan Mason to Minnesota, Guerendo “ran harder as the year went, which is a good sign.”
ON KICKING COMPETITION
A yet-to-be-named veteran kicker is expected to sign after the draft to compete with Jake Moody, who’s had a rocky two-year tenure. “When you’re job is on the line, going against someone who’s talented, you do feel that pressure,” Sha nahan said. “I do believe if you can overcome that and beat out a capable guy, that will show us he’s capable for the season.”
Moody’s sophomore slump saw him miss 9-of-20 field-goal attempts (and a point-after kick) upon returning from a lower-leg injury that sidelined him three games in October. A 2023 third-round pick, Moody struggled late in his rookie season, then opened 2024 by making 12-of-13 field-goal attempts. Then he sprained his lower right (kicking) leg while attempting a tackle on kickoff coverage in Week 5.
BROCK PURDY STATUS
Shanahan was halfway through his 30-minute roundtable before a reporter asked about Brock Purdy. Could the fourth-year quarterback hold out of offseason workouts until he lands a team-record contract extension?
“I hope not. I know Brock doesn’t want to do that. We don’t want to do that. No one wants to do that,” Shanahan said. “But these are negotiations that go on between agents and our organization and it’s over a lot of money. Those aren’t things you just knock out right away. But I believe we will and hope we will, and hopefully it won’t come into any football stuff.”
JONES’ DELAYED ARRIVAL
Four years after bypassing Mac Jones to draft Trey Lance at No. 3 overall, Shanahan is excited to work with Jones as Purdy’s backup adding that he long ago talked with Jones about the 49ers’ draft maneuver that ultimately backfired. Said Shanahan: “It’s kind of funny to put all that time into him for the draft and wait five years later but having him on our team five years later, we’re excited to get to work with him. I just loved how he played the position, especially in college. He got the ball to the right spot, didn’t take sacks, would hang in there and get hit to distribute the ball to his playmakers.”
WIDE RECEIVER PLAN
Brandon Aiyuk’s $23 million option bonus kicked in Tuesday, and Shanahan did not rule out the possibility his top wide receiver could return to the lineup from an October ACL tear as the season begins in September. Said Shanahan: “The goal is always early. You hope to have it right away. We’re told by the doctor there’s a chance but it’s too early in the process. When we get to training camp, we’ll see what it looks like.”
Demarcus Robinson, formerly of the Rams, adds not only insurance for Aiyuk but a physical and versatile presence, Shanahan said.
As for trading Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders, Shanahan said: “He was a unique player who was really fun to have and someone I definitely didn’t want to lose.”
TRENCH WARFARE
“I do feel as though there’ll be more competition for starting spots as there’s been in a while, especially on defense,” Shanahan said of the roster shakeup.
This offseason’s attrition is glaring on both the offensive and defensive lines, the latter of which Shanahan hopes to fortify with some of the 49ers’ 11 draft picks.
Aaron Banks’ departure at left guard is creating an open competition between Ben Bartch, Nick Zakelj and Matt Hennessy. One option to replace Jaylon Moore at swing tackle is to convert Spencer Burford from right guard, Shanahan confirmed.
Shanahan said center Jake Brendel is not competing for the starting job he’s held three straight seasons, adding that Brendel “does protection as well as anybody in the league” despite mismatches on the interior.
COACHING STAFF MOVES
Four years after leaving to become the New York Jets coach, Robert Saleh is back as Shanahan’s defensive coordinator and “it feels like he never left. We have so many people in our building that were here when Saleh was here last time.”
Tight end coach Brian Fleury has assumed the title of run-game coordinator, which was held the previous two years by offensive line coach Chris Foerster. Shanahan named three new coordinators earlier this offseason: Robert Saleh (defense), Klay Kubiak (offense) and Brant Boyer (special teams). Whereas Kubiak’s promotion from pass-game specialist puts him next in line to Shanahan’s play-calling throne, Fleury has been a trusted asset in the run-game design for years and has been on staff since 2000.
Check back for more on this developing story.