Kyle Shanahan is a quarterback savior. A magician for players at the quarterback position. A savant for signal-callers.
Don’t believe it? Ask the former No. 1 pick at the position for the 49ers on Thursday night. Ask the backup on the opposite sideline.
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In San Francisco’s 26–23 prime-time win in overtime over the Rams at SoFi Stadium, Mac Jones gave further evidence, suggesting that Shanahan’s system is the greatest ever devised for passers. Jones went 33-of-49 for 342 yards and two touchdowns against a defense ranked seventh in yards per play (5.7), ninth in yards per game (284.5) and 10th in points allowed (20.2) entering Week 5.
Unlike recent editions of the 49ers, Jones wasn’t blessed with a cavalcade of skill-position talent. While he had the luxury of handing off and checking down to All-Pro back Christian McCaffrey, Jones was without George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk. The wideouts with targets were Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson, Malik Turner and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. They combined for 14 receptions and 190 yards on 22 targets, with Bourne notching 10 catches for 142 yards himself.
In the spring of 2021, Jones was rumored to be a Shanahan target coming out of Alabama. At that point, Jimmy Garoppolo, now the Rams’ understudy to Matthew Stafford, had spent four seasons in San Francisco, including a run to Super Bowl LIV which was followed by an injury-plagued 2020 season in which he started six games. Yet, instead of selecting Jones, San Francisco traded three first-round picks to move up and take Trey Lance, while Jones went 12 spots later to the Patriots.
After being discarded by New England and then the Jaguars, Jones is now thriving under Shanahan. As a rookie in 2021, Jones threw 22 touchdowns and led New England to a wild-card berth. The following year, Bill Belichick entrusted defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to run the offense. Jones predictably struggled, throwing 24 touchdowns against 23 interceptions over the following two years before being dealt to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick.
After starting seven games (10 appearances) and accounting for 1,672 yards, eight touchdowns, eight picks and a 2–5 mark, Jones was allowed to hit free agency, where he signed a two-year, $7 million deal. This season, Jones has thrown for 905 yards and six touchdowns in three games while posting 7.0 yards per attempt and 10.5 yards per completion, both the highest since his rookie campaign.
Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising. Shanahan worked wonders with Garoppolo after he was acquired from New England in 2017. With San Francisco and Shanahan, Garoppolo went 38–17. He also reached a Super Bowl and two NFC championship games, throwing 82 touchdowns and 42 interceptions. With the Patriots, Raiders and Rams, those figures dropped drastically to 10 touchdowns and 10 picks with a 5–4 mark.
Then, as the experiment with Lance was failing, Shanahan turned to Purdy, the No. 262 selection and final pick in the 2022 draft, Mr. Irrelevant. Purdy won his first 10 regular-season starts while helping San Francisco reach two NFC title games and Super Bowl LVIII in his first two seasons, finishing fourth in 2023 MVP voting. This offseason, Purdy was given a five-year, $265 million extension, with $181 million guaranteed.
But proof of Shanahan’s system runs deeper than his San Francisco roots. It’s also been shown in cities across the NFL.
In Miami, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is a disciple of Shanahan, having worked under him for five years. Two seasons ago, McDaniel helped Tua Tagovailoa lead the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and a playoff appearance.
In 2016, Shanahan ran his system as Dan Quinn’s offensive coordinator with the Falcons and converted Matt Ryan from a star into an MVP. That year, Ryan led the league with 9.3 yards per attempt, 13.3 yards per completion and a 117.1 QB rating while leading Atlanta to the Super Bowl.
Last year, the Vikings turned Sam Darnold from stiff to stud under Kevin O’Connell, who never coached under Shanahan but worked alongside him when both were assistants in Washington. O’Connell employs the same system and saw Darnold throw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns, helping him earn a $100 million deal with the Seahawks this offseason.
Before landing in Minnesota, Darnold was a bust with the Jets and Panthers, going 21–34 across five seasons. But then Darnold signed with the 49ers, intriguing Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell. Knowing the coaching he received from Shanahan, Minnesota prioritized signing Darnold as veteran competition for No. 1 pick J.J. McCarthy. On the second day of legal tampering, the Vikings agreed to a one-year pact with the 2018 first-rounder.
On Thursday night, Jones continued his strong start for the 49ers. He provided more proof of what has been seen in San Francisco, Miami, Minnesota and other locales.
Shanahan is a schematic maestro, helping turn quarterbacks who couldn’t succeed elsewhere into unqualified successes.
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