How the 49ers have Squandered a Dynasty Under Kyle Shanahan

To be fair, nine teams passed on Mahomes, so he wasn't exactly a slam dunk. And in spite of the 49ers not getting him, Shanahan led them to the Super Bowl in Year 3 of his tenure despite having Jimmy Garoppolo as his quarterback. Garoppolo wasn't good, and the 49ers knew it -- that's why they let him throw only eight passes in the NFC championship.

In that Super Bowl, the 49ers actually faced Mahomes and the Chiefs. And the 49ers should have beaten them -- they had a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. But Shanahan abandoned the run in the second half, stopped feeding Raheem Mostert and Deebo Samuel, the defense got tired, and the 49ers collapsed. That was the first Super Bowl Shanahan squandered.

The next year, the 49ers could have had Tom Brady, because the Patriots pushed him out of New England and he wanted to come play for his hometown team. But the 49ers decided to stick with Garoppolo because he's younger. So, Brady signed with the Buccaneers instead and won a Super Bowl in his first season in Tampa. That was the second Super Bowl Shanahan squandered.

The next year, the 49ers finally wanted to replace Garoppolo. But instead of trading for Matthew Stafford, the 49ers let the Rams get him, and then traded three first-round picks and a third for Trey Lance, one of the biggest busts ever. Stafford went on to win a ring in his first season in LA after beating the 49ers in the NFC championship. Of course, the 49ers had a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and blew it. That was the third Super Bowl Shanahan squandered.

Finally, after all those missed opportunities, they smartly traded for Christian McCaffrey, lucked into Brock Purdy, and somehow assembled one of the most talented 49ers rosters in 49ers history in 2023. And they went back to the Super Bowl and faced the Chiefs again. But this time, the Chiefs didn't have Tyreek Hill. The 49ers were clearly better than them.

And yet, the 49ers lost again, because Shanahan abandoned the run with a lead in the third quarter, and didn't know the rules in overtime. That was the fourth Super Bowl Shanahan squandered. A few months later, he let Sam Darnold leave in free agency, and now he's playing in the Super Bowl with the Seahawks.

If Seattle wins a ring next week, Shanahan can say he had a hand in creating three potential dynasties -- the Chiefs, the Rams and the Seahawks.

If only he could say the same thing about his own team. He's had plenty of chances.