Free agents who’d love to play for Kyle Shanahan, 49ers in 2023
By Peter Panacy
Kyle Shanahan has turned many a 49ers player into a star, and these free agents would probably leap at the chance to play for him in 2023.
Believe it or not, there is a small but very vocal minority of San Francisco 49ers fans out there who want head coach Kyle Shanahan dismissed from his duties.
OK, so Shanahan and the Niners came up short in Super Bowl LIV, and San Francisco has lost the last two NFC Championship games instead of winning them.
But, considering the reality of being a top-four team (at worst) in three of the last four years, it’s probably safe to say the 49ers have a pretty good head coach in Shanahan.
If you’re not sold, just ask former Niners wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who not only said the idea of firing Shanahan was “crazy” but also pointed out that Shanahan “will be a Hall of Fame coach.”
Regardless, the Niners’ 2022 season is complete, and 2023 NFL free agency is just around the corner. And the new year will bring more opportunities for players to go from relative irrelevancy into superstardom.
Ahem, quarterback Brock Purdy.
For offensive players in particular, the chance of playing for Shanahan has to be enticing, and these four pending free agents would happily join San Francisco’s ranks this offseason.
Jets center Connor McGovern should want to join 49ers
The 49ers somehow managed to not only get by with perennial backup center Jake Brendel over the full course of 2022, but they also made Brendel look exceptionally competent.
Now, Brendel isn’t a high-caliber player. If anything, he outperformed his level of expectation in what was his first year as a true starter last season.
If given the chance, the Niners could still upgrade, though. Considering Shanahan has traditionally eyed veteran centers instead of rookies or younger options, a player like New York Jets center Connor McGovern would make sense.
At 30 years old, McGovern spent the last two years in then-Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s offense.
It might be worth pointing out that LaFleur was a pass-game assistant to Shanahan from 2017 through 2020.