49ers give head coach Shanahan multiyear extension

SANTA CLARA - The 49ers are determined to make sure Kyle Shanahan gets a Super Bowl ring.

With three years remaining on the contract Shanahan signed in 2017, the 49ers signed to Shanahan to a “multi-year” extension, according to a club release. The deal tacks on another six seasons to the original deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Shanahan was not available for comment.

Terms were not available, but the contract reportedly will make Shanahan one of the NFL’s five highest-paid coaches. According to CBS Sports, the NFL’s top paid coaches in terms of average salary before Shanahan’s deal were the New England’s Bill Belichick ($12 million), Seattle’s Pete Carroll ($11 million), the Raiders’ Jon Gruden ($10 million), New Orleans’ Sean Payton ($9.8 million) and Baltimore’s John Harbaugh ($9 million).

The 49ers were the NFL’s top seeded team after a 13-3 regular season and followed with one-sided home playoff wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers before being outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter and falling 31-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in Miami.

Shanahan, 40, becomes the first 49ers coach to get a contract extension since Steve Mariucci 20 years ago. In the interim, the 49ers have been coached by Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly.

Following a 2-14 season under Kelly in 2016, 49ers owner Jed York signed Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to six-year contracts and stressed the need for stability. The 49ers went 6-10 in Shanahan’s first season in 2017, rallying late in the season after acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo, and then were 4-12 in 2018 after Garoppolo was lost to a torn ACL early in the season.

Shanahan was hired after being the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, who blew a 28-3 lead and lost 34-28 in overtime to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

With Shanahan regarded as one of the NFL’s top play designers, the 49ers ranked fourth in the NFL in total offense at 381.1 yards per game and were second in rushing at 144.1 yards per game. They were also second in total defense and first in pass defense.

Shanahan’s extension is good news in an environment where the NFL is answering critics about diversity in hiring.

“I try to hire people that I’ve worked with that are prepared for it, and fortunately, that’s worked out well for me,” Shanahan said on June 4. “I’ve got a Muslim coordinator, we’ve got a black coordinator. We have a lesbian on our staff. We have everything and it’s not just to show people that we’re trying to be diverse. It’s because I’ve been around these people and they’re really good at what they do.”

It’s been an eventful offseason for the 49ers, who traded standout defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis for a first-round draft choice then selected Javon Kinlaw from South Carolina to take his place. The 49ers also lost left tackle Joe Staley to retirement, but acquired seven-time Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams from Washington for third- and fifth-round draft picks.

The 49ers are trying to join the 1971 Dallas Cowboys, 1972 Miami Dolphins and 2018 Patriots as teams who won Super Bowls after losing the previous year.

“It’s not an easy thing to do, but I also think we have different people than a lot of teams have, Shanahan said following the season.