Aikman strangely revives idea Bears should trade for 49ers’ Shanahan originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan extinguish a wildfire in early December.
Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman is trying to reignite the fire.
About ten days after both the 49ers president of football operations/general manager and head coach denounced the idea that San Francisco would like to trade Shanahan to the Chicago Bears, Aikman brought up the subject again while he discussed quarterback Caleb Williams on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” broadcast.
“There’s been some discussion about, ‘Do you give up a few picks and see if you can maybe make a deal for a guy like Kyle Shanahan?’ I would be totally involved in that because he would be developing a quarterback and he is a great head coach.
“But can you make that happen? That’s a better question. And who could you hire that doesn’t have head coaching experience as an offensive guy? You never know the answer to that, how good they’re going to be.”
Troy Aikman considers the possibility…
“There’s been some discussion about, ‘Do you give up a few picks and see if you can maybe get a deal done for a guy like Kyle Shanahan?’ “I would be completely involved in that because he would develop a quarterback and he is a great head coach.” https://t.co/iEZ4agFIZk pic.twitter.com/ngs66LoR40
— Terrible announcement (@awfulannouncing) December 17, 2024
The topic, first brought up by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on Dec. 3, was quickly shot down by Lynch during a Dec. 6 appearance on KNBR 680.
“I found the whole discussion about Kyle quite comical,” Lynch told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “We’ve won four of the last five division championships. We’ve been to two Super Bowls. The norm here is to win championships and we haven’t been able to do that, I understand that. But we have an excellent head coach and the fact that I find people talking about that funny.
“We support Kyle 100 percent and what he brings to our organization. Like I said, our focus is on the Bears and doing everything we can. That’s where Kyle’s focus is and that’s where all of our focus is.”
Two days later, after the 49ers crushed the Bears at Levi’s Stadium, Shanahan forcefully suppressed any speculation that he would be interested in leaving San Francisco.
“I don’t want to be anywhere else in the world but here,” Shanahan told reporters. “And my family feels just as strong, if not much stronger. You guys are going to have to kick me out of here, so I can’t possibly make that decision.
Despite all the talk and speculation, Lynch and Shanahan have made it crystal clear: the eight-year NFL coach isn’t going anywhere.
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