Kyle Shanahan, the offensive coordinator for the NFC Championship-bound Atlanta Falcons, could now be the San Francisco 49ers' top choice to fill the void at head coach, according to ESPN's Adam Shefter.
Citing league sources, Shefter on Monday tweeted that the 49ers organization has been "honing in" on Shanahan after recent reports surfaced suggesting that Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots and other front-runner for the San Francisco gig, was "conflicted" about uprooting his family and heading west to lead the 49ers. Shefter added that McDaniels is expected to stay put with the Patriots for the 2017 campaign.
Kyle Shanahan, the son of two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike Shanahan, sat down for his first interview with San Francisco on Jan. 6. The 37-year-old is currently preparing to lead his top-scoring regular season offense into a matchup with the Green Bay Packers for a chance to play in the Super Bowl.
During the 2016 regular season, the high-octane Atlanta offense was the third-best passing team and fifth-best running team in the league.
Shanahan has 13 years of NFL coaching experience under his belt, including nine years as an offensive coordinator. During those nine seasons, Shanahan's offenses have been top-10 in the league six times when it comes to eating up yardage. Those units have also been top-10 in scoring three times during that same time frame.
San Francisco — the only NFL team with a head coaching vacancy at this time — also has Tom Cable, a Seattle Seahawks assistant, on its wish list.
The offensive line coach and assistant head coach in Seattle since 2011 has helped lead the Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances, including one victory.
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Cable previously coached the Oakland Raiders between 2008 and 2010. The Raiders tallied a 17-27 record during that time, but Cable's reign was marred by tension. He allegedly punched an assistant coach in 2009 and was also entangled in abuse cases involving three women dating back more than two decades, according to reports.
CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco contributed to this report.
