San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed rumors that he could move to Chicago at the end of the season.
The Chicago Bears will look for a new permanent head coach this offseason after firing Matt Eberflus following a humiliating loss on Thanksgiving.
And with the coaching carousel set to take the NFL by storm, speculation arose this week about Shanahan’s future in the Bay Area.
There was heavy speculation that a potential trade between the Niners and Bears, sending Shanahan to Chicago, could be in the offing.
But after his team’s 38-13 loss to the Bears, Shanahan shut down the rumor mill with an emphatic endorsement of his stint in San Francisco.
“I know I don’t want to be anywhere else in the world but here,” Shanahan told reporters. “My family feels just as strong, if not stronger.”
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke out about rumors that he could be traded
There was heavy speculation this week that Shanahan could join the Chicago Bears
The 49ers general manager previously dismissed the suggestion as “kinda comical” when he labeled the situation as “kinda comical.”
NFL insider Mike Florio first suggested the possibility of a trade earlier this week when he appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“I feel like Shanahan and the 49ers are getting close to the point where they would mutually benefit from a fresh start… If you can get Shanahan and be joined at the hip with Caleb Williams, are you kidding me ?’, said Florio.
“This year feels like it’s coming to an end, from the point of view of the core of players they have there. And you never know what happens behind the scenes.
“I mention the 49ers because it’s been about a decade since Jim Harbaugh entered the fourth year of his tenure there. The first three years had been very successful… We reported at the time that the 49ers were about to trade Harbaugh to the Cleveland Browns.”
Eberflus’ big mistake during the Bears’ 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions sealed his fate when Chicago fired him on Black Friday – just two hours after he was forced to address the media in his usual post-game Zoom call .
He is now the third head coach in the NFL to be fired this season, joining the New York Jets’ Robert Saleh and the New Orleans Saints’ Dennis Allen. However, he is the first Bears head coach to be fired mid-season in Chicago’s more than 100-year history.
Eberflus made a mess of the game’s final play, letting time expire when the Bears still had a chance for a field goal that would have sent the game to overtime.
The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus after their Thanksgiving loss
The manner in which the Lions lost put more pressure on Eberflus, with his team sitting last in the NFC North
Chicago was 4-8 for the season at the time, and Eberflus had overseen a so-far disappointing first NFL season for quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.
The manner in which the Detroit loss unfolded put more pressure on Eberflus, with the Bears dead last in the NFC North, and ultimately proved to be the final nail in the coffin.
Rookie quarterback Williams, meanwhile, completed 20 of 39 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
Eberflus appeared to blame quarterback Williams for the way the final moments of the team’s loss to the Lions unfolded, despite refusing to call a timeout that could have saved the game.