San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is at the Sonoma Raceway today. He is the Grand Marshal of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Cup Series race and caught up with reporters following the news of the Atlanta Falcons trading wide receiver Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans.
The 49ers were likely interested, and there was a lot of speculation surrounding the potential of a Jones-Shanahan reunion. The coach worked with Jones for two seasons (2015-16) when he was the offensive coordinator in Atlanta.
Shanahan was asked about the trade.
"I'm very glad he's in the AFC," he responded.
One reporter said it would have been nice to have Jones land with the Niners.
"It would have been a hell of a deal, but my second-favorite choice is him being in the AFC," Shanahan said.
That comment might indicate that Shanahan and the 49ers were at least interested in acquiring Jones. It is worth noting that the 49ers are scheduled to face Jones and the Titans in Week 16. However, San Francisco avoids facing him multiple times a season, as the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks were also linked to Jones.
"Yes, but we've got to worry about everyone," Shanahan said. "Number one, him not being in our division is a huge deal. The AFC is the second favorite. But Julio's the man. Everyone knows how good of a player he is."
Kyle Shanahan says it "would've been a hell of a deal" to have Julio Jones with #49ers but "I'm very glad he's in the AFC."pic.twitter.com/VHkLlgjt4z
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) June 6, 2021