Sometimes it pays to be patient. For the San Francisco 49ers, it definitely paid for them big time as they finally got their head coach for next season in former Atlanta Hawks offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
The San Francisco 49ers formally announced on Monday that they have officially signed Kyle Shanahan to be their head coach next season, according to ESPN. Shanahan formally signed with the 49ers just a day after the Atlanta Falcons' heartbreaking overtime lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
Kyle Shanahan's deal matches the contract given by the San Francisco 49ers to new general manager John Lynch. The deal is expected to run for six years.
With the hiring of Kyle Shanahan, he becomes the fourth head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in as many years. Shanahan replaced Chip Kelly, who was hired after Jim Tomsula and Jim Harbaugh.
The hiring of Kyle Shanahan is a long and tedious process for the San Francisco 49ers. The deal took more than a month to work out the details before Shanahan finally agreed to sign with the 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers first fired Chip Kelly on Jan. 1. They then interviewed Kyle Shanahan on Jan. 6 with the Atlanta Falcons enjoying a bye week for the wild-card round.
Kyle Shanahan was again interviewed by the San Francisco 49ers during the bye week before the Super Bowl. During that time, the 49ers were also talking to John Lynch and two other general manager candidates.
The San Francisco 49ers, however, couldn't sign Kyle Shanahan until after the Super Bowl. That happened on Sunday and the next day, the 49ers moved quickly and met with Shanahan. Soon after the meeting, a contract was finalized.
Kyle Shanahan, 37, was one of the most sought after head coaching candidates in the NFL. Shanahan has already been interviewed by the Denver Broncos and the Jacksonville Jaguars before signing with the San Francisco 49ers, USA Today reported.
