For a time, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looked like he was building a formidable coaching tree in the mold of his father, Mike Shanahan.
Now, that vision appears to be in jeopardy after the younger Shanahan's acolytes have struggled this season.
There was a time when being either an offensive or defensive coordinator for the Niners pretty much ensured that an assistant would be a hot commodity for head-coach vacancies in the NFL. It took defensive coordinator Robert Saleh just four seasons to go from a relative unknown to a hot hire for the New York Jets. Mike McDaniel was the run game coordinator in San Francisco for four seasons and the offensive coordinator for one before he took all of his eccentricities to Miami to join the Dolphins. DeMeco Ryans was defensive coordinator for just two seasons before he went to the Houston Texans and turned things around there.
All of this reflected well on Shanahan, but 2024 has changed things.
The 49ers' struggles have brought increased scrutiny upon Shanahan and his ability to lead his squad to a Super Bowl victory. Saleh was fired earlier in the season after a disappointing start for the Jets and a lackluster 20-36 record as a head coach there.
McDaniel was seen as something of a wunderkind the past few seasons as he created an offensive juggernaut in Miami, but a 6-8 record this season has some thinking he could be on the hot seat if the Dolphins end the season poorly. The Niners could even potentially make that a reality if they beat the Dolphins in Week 16.
Our own Peter Panacy has written about the possibility that the Niners could reunite with Saleh and McDaniel after the season if McDaniel is let go in Miami, which to be fair, does not seem extremely likely right now but it is a possibility.
However, if McDaniel is not able to turn things around in 2025, then it would not be a surprise to see him get fired.
Turning to Houston, Ryans is not on the hot seat. The Texans are currently at 9-5 on the season and are currently leading the AFC South. However, the team has won a lot of close games this season and has not looked as strong as many expected them to be at the start of 2024. Plus, second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud has struggled in his sophomore season, which could be a bad portend of things to come.
The Texans will make the postseason this year and certainly will be favorites in the dismal AFC South next season, but they may not be the juggernaut some thought they could be come.
In all, the Shanahan Shine has dimmed a bit this season. Perhaps it can be recaptured next season if both the Niners and Dolphins have bounceback seasons.
If not, the entire Shanahan tree could come to an end.