San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan joined the Flying Coach podcast hosted by Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and NFL Network's Peter Schrager. The interview is a great listen if you want to hear some good stories from McVay and Shanahan, who worked together in Washington and now coach division rivals.
McVay had to ask Shanahan what he thought of the Rams acquiring quarterback Matthew Stafford via a trade over the offseason. It sounds like the 49ers coach has some regrets when it comes to that situation.
"You don't want to get me started, dude," Shanahan told McVay. "That was frustrating. I was actually in Cabo. I was watching it all. I had never studied Stafford that hard."
McVay interrupted to clarify that Shanahan was actually in Cabo San Lucas at that time. Of course, that's because McVay and Stafford were there too.
"I'm just glad he wasn't staying at El Dorado (Golf & Beach Club)," McVay quipped.
"I remember looking through it because everyone was telling me it was a possibility," Shanahan continued. "And Stafford's the man. I studied him hard coming out of college, and you always just play against him, so you know how good he is. But to know he might be available, and to spend two weeks really watching him, Sean, yeah, he's better than I had realized.
"I mean, he was the man, and he's actually underrated, to me. So, I know how good of a guy you got, I know how good he is at play-action, I know how smart he is. Not only does he have a big arm, but he's got touch. He knows where to go with the ball."
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Shanahan added that he and the 49ers were trying to see if a trade for Stafford was a possibility. However, the team never formalized an offer to the Detroit Lions for the veteran quarterback.
"I was trying to get involved in it," Shanahan shared. "Someone who had knowledge of the situation, I remember us talking to (agent Tom) Condon, just everyone, to find out when it was happening. I remember Saturday, I was so stressed out. And finally, we talked to someone. It was like seven at night, and they're like, 'No, nothing's happening, at the earliest, until tomorrow. You can finish your night.' So I'm like, 'Alright, I'm done.'"
Shanahan put away his phone and went to dinner with his wife, Mandy.
"A half an hour later, my buddy calls me," Shanahan continued. "He's like, 'I'm just telling you, if you want Stafford, you need to get a hold of him right now.' I'm like, 'What do you mean? No, we just talked to people. I can sleep on this. We'll talk to him tomorrow.'"
Shanahan's friend urged him to talk to Stafford immediately. But, convinced nothing was imminent, he didn't.
"And then 10 minutes later, it was all over," Shanahan added.
McVay added: "If it makes you feel any better, it came together faster than I thought too, Kyle."
The move would have certainly meant trading away Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco did end up adding a quarterback in the offseason, trading up to draft Trey Lance out of North Dakota State at No. 3 overall.
You can listen to the entire interview below.
