4. Kyle Shanahan Wins Coach of the Year
The first two years of the post-Jim Harbaugh era were a complete disaster in San Francisco. The 49ers had Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly on the sideline for one season each. The entire franchise changed the day that San Francisco hired John Lynch to be their general manager. One of his first moves was to hire Kyle Shanahan as head coach.
After many successful years as an offensive coordinator, Shanahan finally landed a head coaching job. The Niners finished 6-10 in 2017 but landed their franchise quarterback in a trade with the New England Patriots. Garoppolo finished 5-0 as a starter that year.
Unfortunately, Garoppolo missed 13 games in 2018 and the team finished 4-12. We all saw what Shanahan could do with a healthy quarterback and strong defense. He will have both in 2020.
Shanahan was a Coach of the Year candidate in 2019 but was outdid by John Harbaugh. Shanahan is quickly rising up the coaching rankings. If he can lead the Niners to a similar season in 2020, he could land his first Coach of the Year award.