49ers Super Bowl loss gets even worse thanks to the coach carousel

The hardest part about reaching the Super Bowl is maintaining the championship core and working to get there again the following year. 

Teams aggressively try to poach players, coaches, or executives from winning organizations with hopes of replicating the success elsewhere, making it hard to enjoy sustained success and continuity in the NFL (or any professional sport, for that matter).

With several pending free agents, it will be a busy offseason for the San Francisco 49ers following their agonizing defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, and it gets even busier thanks to the recent departure of assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn.

San Francisco 49ers losing Anthony Lynn to Washington Commanders

Per ESPN’s Senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Washington Commanders are hiring Lynn to join head coach Dan Quinn’s staff as the team’s run-game coordinator. 

Schefter notes that the Commanders pursued Lynn last year before he ultimately returned to the 49ers for the 2023 campaign, pointing out his connection to the newly-hired duo of Quinn and general manager Adam Peters as a reason to join Washington’s staff.

A former NFL running back, Lynn has served in various coaching roles for his offensive-minded prowess, including a four-year stint with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017-20 as their head coach. During his time in Los Angeles, Lynn compiled a 33-31 regular season record with a 1-1 playoff record.

After his time with the Chargers ended, he became the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions for one season in 2021 before taking his talents to the Bay Area as the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the following two campaigns.

He will now play a critical role in helping Quinn and the Commanders establish a rushing attack for an offensive unit that ranked 26th in rush yards per game in 2023 (93.6).

On the other hand, the 49ers will have their hands full replacing a respected veteran coach amid a devastating Super Bowl loss. Lynn's decision comes after head coach Kyle Shanahan expects all the team’s coaches to return to San Francisco in 2024, so this move may have caught him off guard.