Nothing will be official until the Atlanta Falcons’ season ends, but Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is a virtual lock to be the next coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Starting with owner Arthur Blank, the entire Falcons organization knows how much Shanahan will be missed.
Still, Atlanta’s other assistants were happy to see Shanahan get promoted.
“Dan Quinn kind of announced it to the group,” Mike Silver of NFL.com said (h/t Niners Nation). “I don’t know if people broke into a round of applause, but it was a glorious moment at the Falcons’ facility. They’re super supportive of Kyle Shanahan going to the 49ers.”
That’s nice to see. With stars like Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, the Atlanta offense should continue to thrive with Shanahan gone. Still, he will be missed.
The Falcons have been a well-oiled machine in 2016. During the regular season, they ranked second in yards per game and first in points per game. As the Divisional Round route of the Seattle Seahawks showed, the offense travels into the postseason as well.
While Shanahan can’t officially be hired until Atlanta’s season is over, the week following the NFC Championship game will provide a chance for more talk. If the Falcons lose, then the 49ers can hire Shanahan immediately. If Atlanta wins, Shanahan can spend the bye week preparing a staff and even hiring a general manager.