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.
Jaguars’ Evan Engram could be a perfect No. 2 49ers tight end
If 28-year-old still-Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram was paying attention, he’d know that Kyle Shanahan has been seeking a top No. 2 tight end to pair with the All-Pro, George Kittle, for a very long, long time.
Shanahan has mostly failed in this quest, but it doesn’t mean it’ll end in 2023. If anything, Shanahan will try harder to land another tight end.
That’s where Engram can come in.
Granted, he’ll have to play second fiddle to Kittle (that rhymes), but Kittle’s unfortunate injury history and the reality that Shanahan still loves to involve two tight end sets often could wind up benefiting Engram in a substantial way.
A career-high 766 yards for the Jags might be more than enough to convince Engram to hang around, but it’ll likely be hard for him to replicate that anywhere else other than in the best offensive situations.
One like that of San Francisco.
Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold would love to resurrect career with Kyle Shanahan, 49ers
OK, before you laugh, consider the report that linked Carolina Panthers flameout quarterback Sam Darnold with Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers back in the spring of 2021.
Darnold is a bust, yes. He’ll never get around that.
However, this doesn’t mean his career is tanked. If anything, finding the right context and situation should be No. 1 on the former top-three NFL Draft pick.
Even if it means being the third option on a depth chart.
Shanahan is already looking at quarterbacks Trey Lance and Brock Purdy on the Niners’ depth chart this offseason. However, with Purdy nursing a serious elbow injury that’ll keep him out until training camp, while Lance is just close to getting back from a broken ankle, someone like Darnold can step in and have that opportunity to compete for a high-end spot.
Doing so with Shanahan, who made Purdy a household name out of the ashes of the tail end of the 2022 draft, would likely be a career-saving dream for someone like Darnold.
Kyle Shanahan would use running back Alexander Mattison as a dual-threat weapon
Kyle Shanahan loves “positionless” football. Case in point, wide receiver Deebo Samuel is used as a running back, while running back Christian McCaffrey is used as a wide receiver.
Why not add a third player of this ilk?
For the last four years, Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison has been buried behind a four-time Pro Bowler in Dalvin Cook, although that hasn’t stopped Mattison from netting at least 540 total yards from scrimmage in three of the last four seasons.
A pass-catching tailback who had 228 yards on 32 receptions in 2021, Mattison would still be buried behind McCaffrey.
However, considering McCaffrey’s own injury history and how much San Francisco elected to use him last season, finding a serviceable backup who can spell the All-Pro from time to time would seem to be a wise move.
And one has to figure Mattison would love the opportunity.
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster fits a 49ers mold (if Chiefs don’t re-sign him)
There’s a caveat for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Going from having quarterback Patrick Mahomes tossing passes to you over to the 49ers’ tandem of Trey Lance and Brock Purdy seems like a massive downgrade, right?
Well, it is. And not even Kyle Shanahan can make up the difference in the coaching department because of KC’s own, Andy Reid.
However, Kansas City could also elect not to re-sign the 26-year-old Smith-Schuster this offseason despite his 933 receiving yards on 78 receptions.
Want your voice heard? Join the Niner Noise team!
If that winds up being the case, and Smith-Schuster doesn’t mind playing a secondary role behind Deebo Samuel, or even a tertiary role behind fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk, so be it. After all, Shanahan would be about as notable a head coach to play under when it comes to featuring top-level wide receivers.
Especially with Smith-Schuster’s size and speed. That’d be what Shanahan would feature.