For the second time in five years, the San Francisco 49ers are in a Super Bowl. Perhaps the Denver Broncos could have been in a similar scenario had a few hires gone their way in 2017.
After former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak stepped down for health reasons following the 2016 season, the candidates to replace him included Kyle Shanahan, the son of legendary former coach Mike Shanahan.
Shanahan interviewed for Denver’s opening, but the team, led by John Elway and Joe Ellis at the time, ultimately decided to hire Vance Joseph instead. Joseph went 11-21 in two seasons before being fired. Shanahan has reached four conference title games (and two Super Bowls) since being passed over by the Broncos.
That same year, San Francisco hired former Denver safety John Lynch as their general manager. The Broncos did not have a GM job available for Lynch because Elway held that role, but late former team owner Pat Bowlen offered Lynch a job with the team “many times.”
Lynch waited for the perfect opportunity, which arrived when the 49ers offered him the GM position. Had things gone differently, the Broncos could have had Shanahan as their head coach and Lynch as a member of the front office. But wait, there’s more…
That same spring, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey — the son of legendary Denver receiver Ed McCaffrey — was a top prospect in the NFL draft. Elway and the Broncos attempted to trade up for McCaffrey on draft day but the price proved to be too steep.
McCaffrey was picked eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers. Denver stayed put at No. 20 and landed Utah left tackle Garett Bolles. After struggling early in his career, Bolles earned a second-team All-Pro nod in 2020. He’s a good player, but McCaffrey is an elite player, winning Offensive Player of the Year this season after leading the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards.
Seven years ago, the Broncos could have hired Shanahan and Lynch, and (for a price) traded up to land McCaffrey as well. Some fans in Denver might contend that it wouldn’t matter if the Broncos still didn’t find a quarterback, but Shanahan has proven he can win without an elite QB.
Denver’s connections to San Francisco don’t stop with Shanahan, Lynch and McCaffrey, either.
Brian Griese, the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach, was Elway’s backup when the Broncos won Super Bowl XXXIII. Klay Kubiak, San Fran’s assistant QBs coach, is the son of Gary Kubiak, who served as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator and QBs coach for back-to-back Super Bowl wins under Shanahan in the late 1990s, then he won a title as Denver’s head coach in 2015.
Anthony Lynn, the 49ers’ assistant head coach and running backs coach, was a backup behind Terrell Davis for a pair of Super Bowl wins. Bobby Turner, another San Fran running backs coach, held that same role with the Broncos under Mike Shanahan from 1995-2009, winning two Super Bowls.
With so many connections to Denver, this San Francisco squad should have the full backing of Broncos Country on Super Bowl Sunday.