San Francisco 49ers brass spent New Year’s Day interviewing former Los Angeles Raiders, Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan.
This seems like a natural fit. Shanahan has a history with the 49ers, coordinating their offense to a No. 1 ranking in scoring from 1992-1994 before taking the Broncos job.
He also has previous success working with a young, mobile quarterback in the form of Robert Griffin III in Washington.
Now, Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole is indicating that San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York has Shanahan high on his list of candidates for the head coaching vacancy.
I can also indicate that from what I am hearing from within the 49ers organization, Shanahan’s interview went well and that he is indeed the front-runner to land the job.
While Shanahan’s age is somewhat of a concern, especially considering San Francisco recently indicated that it wants its next head coach to be around for a decade, he does fit the organization’s belief that an offensive-minded head coach would be best moving forward.
There is also some thought being given to Kyle Shanahan, the current Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator, joining his father in the same role for the 49ers. That would also set up a plan for succession in Santa Clara.
San Francisco still has interviews lined up with multiple head coaching candidates, including former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan on Sunday. So while Shanahan is currently seen as a favorite, things can still change.
