Kyle Shanahan will be the fourth head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in as many years. That means that players will be learning their fourth scheme during that timeframe. That lack of consistency can have major drawbacks because players never really get comfortable within a system.
49ers safety Eric Reid and linebacker NaVorro Bowman joined KNBR on Thursday to discuss their new head coach and new general manager. One of the questions that they were asked was about the six-year deals that both Shanahan and John Lynch signed with the 49ers. The pair will be with the team for a while. What does that mean to each player?
"I think it's great," Reid said. "We talked a little bit earlier about having a new scheme every year and it's hard to be successful when you always feel like you're learning. So knowing that they're going to be here a while, you know that you can get comfortable in the scheme, that everybody will have a chance to master it and flourish in the scheme. I find that encouraging."
"From John and Kyle's point of view, I feel like when you leave something, a successful place, comfortable, you want to know you're going to be secure in this next place that you're going," said Bowman. "I think it was a weight lifted off their shoulders and them just coming in, able to do their job and not worrying about their job security."
Bowman knows something about feeling secure. The All-Pro linebacker signed a new four-year extension worth $44 million with the 49ers back in August while he already had three years left on his old deal – increasing the contract to seven years. The new deal will keep him with the 49ers through the 2022 season.
You can listen to the entire interview on KNBR.