San Francisco 49ers GM spoke with Mike Shanahan on Tuesday

Mike Shanahan has reportedly met with San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke on Tuesday.

The San Francisco 49ers are in the process of looking for a new head coach. Following the departure of Jim Harbaugh, several coaches are lining up for the chance to interview for said role. Among them is recently fired New York Jets head coach and defensive specialist Rex Ryan. Another name being talk about with regards to the position, however is that of Mike Shanahan, an offensive specialist in his own right who was last seen on the sidelines of an NFL field after the Washington Redskins finished a disappointing follow up season to 2012’s 10-6 playoff run, going 3-13 in 2013.

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While it is not yet clear if Shanahan will interview for the vacant coaching position, it is certainly an intriguing piece of news nevertheless. And one could ask themselves if its an appropriate match. An offensive minded coach like Shanahan might be able to bring out the best in a squad that features the likes of wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree, and tight end Vernon Davis. Should Colin Kaepernick indeed work with an independent quarterback coach this off-season, things could finally click together again in the Niners’ huddle. If Frank Gore can return to prominent form, somewhat of a challenge considering his age, it would provide Shanahan with that greatly valued power back presence he is used to up the middle. Of course he always has Carlos Hyde to work with as well.

Defensively, he would step into an organization that, although has some holes, provides for a great base to work with. The 49ers are an 8-8 team that with a little tweaking could be a 12-4 or 13-3 squad. The pieces are in place for Shanahan to work his magic with. It is really just a matter of whether he is interested, and if the Niners want to commit to the man’s coaching style. It is not much of a far cry from former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s schemes and those team made the NFC Championship game three consecutive years prior to this past season.

Which brings us to the next point. Shanahan has said before that in order to return to coaching in the league, he would require a team that could contend immediately. “Well, one thing that I want to do is win. So it’s not just coaching but going to the right organization that will make a strong commitment. There’s only one team that’s happy at the end of the year and that’s the team that wins the Super Bowl,” said the two time Super Bowl winning head coach.

Of all the head coaching vacancies, San Francisco is, by far, the most attractive destination with regards to this premise. A fully healthy, well executed version of this roster could steal back the NFC West, as well as the no. 1 seed in the conference from the rival Seattle Seahawks. Only time will tell if Shanahan is serious about getting back into the coaching fray. If he is, there are not going to be too many opportunities as appealing as this in the near future. We know that, and most likely, so does he.

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