San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie will face off for a coin flip on Friday to determine which team has the ninth-overall pick in April's draft and which team selects one spot later. After that, the two Bay Area teams will not face off until their 2018 regular season game at Levi's Stadium.
Kyle Shanahan just finished his rookie season as the 49ers' head coach. Jon Gruden is entering his second tenure as the Raiders' head coach and spoke to the media at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Wednesday. He was asked if he looks forward to having a matchup against Shanahan and San Francisco, where he served as an offensive assistant in 1990.
"I look forward to matchups with everybody," Gruden answered. "I've got a lot of respect for Kyle and the way that he's gone about his career. Obviously, he's been fortunate to have a dad like he has and to have some experiences as a young man that have really fast-tracked him to the success that he's had."
Of course, Kyle Shanahan's father is Mike Shanahan. Gruden and Mike Shanahan never served together on the same staff, but the two coached against each other during Gruden's first run as the Raiders' head coach from 1998 through 2001. The elder Shanahan was the head coach of the Denver Broncos during that time.