No, 49ers won't fire Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch for Trey Lance debacle

If you're thinking 49ers CEO Jed York would fire Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch for the Trey Lance failure, think again.

The San Francisco 49ers took a massive swing on quarterback Trey Lance, and it ultimately failed.

The No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, one for whom the Niners gave up three first-round picks and a third-rounder to acquire, ultimately started just four games with the red and gold and never turned into that franchise-defining signal-caller he was envisioned to be.

Now, after two-plus years that offered a combination of injuries and less-than-inspiring results, Lance has been traded away to the Dallas Cowboys for a mere fourth-round pick.

Loss: San Francisco.

Who's to blame for the debacle? After all, analysts like former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III aren't being too hyperbolic when they say the 49ers' deal to acquire Lance will go down as the worst trade in modern league history, right?

Someone has to get fired for that, right?

Right?

Well, if you're thinking it'll be general manager John Lynch and/or head coach Kyle Shanahan, think again.

Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch remain safe despite 49ers' failure with Trey Lance

We don't have any reports or sources that suggest CEO Jed York won't pull the trigger on firing either Lynch and Shanahan in the wake of the Lance debacle.

Although York did say this earlier this year, via NBC Sports Bay Area:

"I wouldn’t change anything that we’ve made about the decision with Trey. I think Trey has a chance to be great. But it’s a bonus when you get somebody at the end of the seventh round, [Brock Purdy] that ends up coming in and being very impactful for your team."

York highlighted the possible insurance for Lynch and Shanahan, Purdy, who took the league by storm late last season and was tabbed as the team's starter without much challenge entering 2023.

But it's bigger why both coach and GM are safe.

For starters, York learned his lesson back in 2015 in the wake of "mutually" parting ways with former head coach Jim Harbaugh, who engineered the most success for the team since George Seifert in the 1990s. Those dark years of 2015 and 2016 with head coaches Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, coupled with airplanes flying over Levi's Stadium with banners that read, "49ers and Jed York should mutually part ways" have to echo.

York found his franchise saviors in Lynch and Shanahan. He knows it, too.

Related story: John Lynch breaks down gritty details behind Trey Lance trade to Cowboys

It's also backed up by facts as well. Shanahan and Lynch have brought the Niners to two consecutive NFC Championships and won another in three out of four years. Over the last two seasons, San Francisco has appeared in a max of five primetime games, while superstars like tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and edge Nick Bosa help sell jerseys (and tickets) like crazy.

If the 49ers were losing games, had half-full crowds at Levi's Stadium and were back to being a league laughingstock, yes, York would pull the plug on Shanahan and Lynch.

The fact both have helped resurrect the Niners effectively absolves them of the Lance gaffe.

It's that simple.

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