Aikman strangely revives the idea that Bears should trade for Shanahan from the 49ers

Aikman strangely revives the idea that the Bears should trade for the 49ers. Shanahan originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan put out a wildfire in early December.

Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman is trying to rekindle the fire.

About ten days after both the 49ers’ president of football operations/general manager and head coach condemned the idea that San Francisco might consider trading Shanahan to the Chicago Bears, Aikman brought up the topic again when he spoke about quarterback Caleb Williams during ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast.

“There were discussions about, ‘Do you give up some picks and see if you can maybe get a deal for a guy like Kyle Shanahan?’ I would be all in because he would develop a quarterback and he’s a damn good head coach.

“But can you do it? That’s a better question. And who could you hire that doesn’t have offensive head coaching experience? You never know how good he’s going to be.”

The topic, first raised by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on Dec. 3, was quickly dismissed by Lynch during a Dec. 6 appearance on KNBR 680.

“I thought the whole discussion about Kyle was pretty funny,” Lynch told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “We have won four of the last five division championships. We went to two Super Bowls. The standard here is to win championships and we failed to do that, I understand that. But we have an excellent head coach and the fact is that people talk about it, I find it strange.

“We are 100 percent behind Kyle and what he brings to our organization. Like I said, our focus is on that [Chicago] Bears and we are doing everything we can. That’s what Kyle focuses on and that’s our entire focus.

Two days later, after the 49ers defeated the Bears at Levi’s Stadium, Shanahan forcefully dispelled any speculation that he was interested in leaving San Francisco.

“I don’t want to be anywhere in the world more than here,” Shanahan told reporters in December. “And my family feels just as strong – if not much stronger. “You’re going to have to kick me out of here, so there’s no way I can make that decision.”

Despite all the talk and speculation, Lynch and Shanahan have made it clear: The eight-year NFL coach isn’t going anywhere.

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