The Washington Commanders are entering Year 3 of the Dan Quinn era. Things went great in Year 1, with the Commanders reaching the NFC Championship for the first time since the 1991 season. That momentum did not carry over into Year 2, however, with Washington getting destroyed by injuries, which ultimately sunk their season.
With how well the Commanders did in the first year of Quinn's tenure, one would think his leash would extend past 2026. That might not necessarily be the case though.
NFL insider Jason La Canfora recently unveiled his bold predictions for the upcoming season. One of those predictions was that this would be Kyle Shanahan's final year with the San Francisco 49ers. In that blurb, La Canfora tied Shanahan to the Commanders.
"A return to Washington to work with Jayden Daniels would be something."
Commanders fans can forget about Kyle Shanahan as head coach
First and foremost, the bigger picture here is that in order for the Commanders to hire Shanahan, he'd have to leave the 49ers. La Canfora said that because the 49ers have a lot of expiring contracts and aging players, that he doesn't see much of a reason for Shanahan to remain in San Francisco. Still, he's under contract through 2027 and it's doubtful the Niners would fire him or that he'd quit and leave money on the table. That's an article for a different day though.
Now maybe La Canfora simply just meant that Shanahan could join the Commanders in an offensive coordinator role. If he meant as a head coach, however, then obviously it goes without saying that Quinn would not be in the role.
While it's a nice dream to imagine the Commanders getting an accomplished coach like Shanahan, it's not going to happen for a lot of reasons. One of the main ones is that, for those who might not be aware, Shanahan's father, Mike Shanahan, did not have a good experience with the organization. Kyle was on the Commanders' staff when his father was and while it's an entirely new regime, those kinds of wounds probably won't heal ever or at the very least, they won't heal this quickly and understandably so.
Kyle Shanahan might be linked to Commanders but the fit isn't simple
Kyle also worked under Dan Quinn when the two were in Atlanta together. Shanahan served as the offensive coordinator for the Falcons (yes, in the infamous 28-3 Super Bowl) and there's still a ton of respect there. So, needless to say, taking over as the Commanders' head coach after Quinn was hypothetically let go, would probably be a no-go for Shanahan.
If La Canfora was suggesting a possible offensive coordinator fit, that's unlikely for an obvious reason. It's doubtful that after 10 years as a successful head coach, including two Super Bowl appearances and four trips to the NFC title game, that Shanahan wouldn't be fielding enough head coach offers. The chances of him going back to an OC role are incredibly slim.
Would it be amazing to see a coach like Kyle Shanahan come to DC and lead the Commanders? Absolutely! Is it going to happen though? I mean, never say never, but probably not.
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