The 49ers didn't need to wait a full six seasons of Kyle Shanahan to decide to lock him into six more. San Francisco announced a new contract extension for Shanahan on Monday that now keeps him connected with the organization through the 2025 season.
Fresh off leading the 49ers to an NFC championship and seeing them fall just short of wining Super Bowl 54, it was a no-brainer for the 49ers to ensure keeping Shanahan around well beyond 2022. What it also means, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, is that Shanahan is now one of the five highest-paid coaches in the NFL.
That would suggest Shanahan is the latest coach to make $9 million or more per season and puts him in exclusive company with his contemporaries. When Forbes released its list of highest-paid coaches in January. Bill Belichick ($13 million) was on top, followed by Pete Carroll ($11 million), Jon Gruden ($10 million), Sean Payton ($9.8 million) and John Harbaugh ($9 million).
What do those five coaches have in common? They are all Super Bowl winners. Note that going a little further down on the list, you will find two more longtime coaches with rings, Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid (both at $8.5 million per season).
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The 49ers reportedly giving Shanahan more than Reid despite being on the losing side is very significant. They believe in Shanahan, 40, being successful for a long time and eventually lifting up the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy since the 1995 season.
Should Shanahan see the end of his current deal in San Francisco through at least 2025, that would mean he would be coaching the 49ers for at least nine seasons. Between George Seifert in 1996 and Shanahan in 2017, the 49ers went through eight coaches in 21 years. Steve Mariucci and Jim Harbaugh combined to be on the job for 10 of those years.
Consider Seifert, succeeding the late great Bill Walsh, coached the 49ers for eight seasons. Walsh led the 49ers to three rings before Seifert's two in a span of 10 seasons.
At one point, before a fallout with the front office timed with the opening of the Michigan job, Harbaugh seemed destined to be that West Coast offensive-minded keeper for which the 49ers were desperately looking post Walsh and Seifert. Shanahan is now the real answer.
Without the 49ers, Mike Shanahan wouldn't have enjoyed a great showcase as offensive coordinator under Seifert that parlayed into leading the Broncos to two Super Bowl victories. It only makes sense that Mike's son Kyle will remain part of the plan to bring the 49ers back to that level of glory.
Kyle Shanahan may have been once deemed that young hot-shot play-caller who needed to learn to become a complete coach. The 49ers' patience in him to deliver paid off. They have seen plenty enough to give him a good chance to being the longest-tenured coach in franchise history.
