During a December 3 appearance on 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh Show, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested that the Chicago Bears, who recently fired head coach Matt Eberflus, should reach out to 49ers CEO Jed York or general manager John Lynch about trading for Shanahan.
“I feel like [Shanahan] is on the Andy Reid path where he is never going to reach his full potential unless he goes to a new team,” Florio said, via Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. “And his dad’s from Illinois. There’s kind of an appeal to that.”
What Would It Take for the Bears to Land Shanahan?
Shanahan’s father, two-time Super Bowl-winning coach and Illinois native Mike Shanahan, likely wouldn’t influence his son’s decision.
“What would you give up to get Kyle Shanahan? You should at least have that conversation, because the 49ers almost traded Jim Harbaugh to the Browns 10 years ago,” Florio said. “Harbaugh said no, or else they would have done it. Who knows? If Jed York is thinking about making a change, this might be a great opportunity.”
The Denver Broncos recently traded first- and third-round picks to the New Orleans Saints for Sean Payton, a Super Bowl-winning coach, so acquiring Shanahan would likely cost multiple first-round picks.
“I feel like Shanahan and the 49ers are getting close to the point where they would benefit mutually from a fresh start,” Florio added during a December 3 appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. “If you can get Shanahan and join him at the hip with Caleb Williams—are you kidding me?”
Bears Insider Dismisses Shanahan Trade as ‘Fantasyland’
Shanahan led the 49ers to Super Bowl 54, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, and to another Super Bowl appearance in 2023, where they again fell to the Chiefs in overtime.
As of December 3, 2024, Shanahan’s regular-season coaching record stands at 69-58, with an 8-4 postseason record. Despite this year’s struggles, his tenure in San Francisco has been a success, making a trade highly unlikely.
Bears insider Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune poured cold water on the idea in his December 4 Q&A column.
“I don’t see any chance on this earth the 49ers would consider trading Shanahan—and IF they did, what’s the asking price? Two first-round draft picks plus what else? Why would Shanahan want to go to a team that all of a sudden would be handicapped with a lack of draft capital when he’s already with a team that should be a contender again when it’s healthy in 2025?” Biggs wrote. “I think it’s fantasyland to wonder about the Bears trading for their next head coach. But, hey, dare to dream.”
For Bears fans, dreams may be all they have at the moment. Expect the rumors to linger, at least for now.
