According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, several San Francisco 49ers called head coach Kyle Shanahan today to let him know they are alive.
Take 2 sans typo:
This is tremendous. I'm told a group of #49ers players called Kyle Shanahan today to let him know they survived until Sunday. So good.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 3, 2021
Of course, this stems from comments Shanahan made last week when asked by Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle if the coach could guarantee that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would be on the roster come Sunday. He was referring to the situation surrounding the 49ers, at the time, potentially drafting a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick.
"I can't guarantee that anybody in the world will be alive Sunday, so I can't guarantee who will be on our roster on Sunday. So, that goes for all of us," Shanahan responded.
The coach later explained what he meant by the comment, feeling that it had taken on a life of its own.
"I hated how that came off," Shanahan shared on Thursday after the 49ers drafted quarterback Trey Lance of North Dakota State. "I talked to Jimmy about it right away. I didn't realize that when I did it. A person I have a relationship with who sometimes when he asks me what I think is a silly question, sometimes I mess with him back and that's kind of what I was doing.
"That was between me and that guy, had nothing to do with Jimmy when I said, 'I didn't know if we'd be alive on Sunday.' I was just trying not to get my typical answer of, 'Guys, anybody can be traded if you get a bunch of ones, John should trade me and I shouldn't be here on Sunday.'"