Any fan of the Washington Redskins knows their connection to Super Bowl LIV, played Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. It’s the same connection they had to Super Bowl LIII last season between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams — the coach of one team used to be an assistant coach for the Redskins.
However, this year there are a couple of other names of players in the game that might get under the skin of Redskins fans. Here are the ex-Redskins who will play for a Super Bowl ring on Sunday.
Kyle Shanahan — Head Coach, San Francisco 49ers
You all know the story here. Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in Washington from 2010-2013 until he and his father, Mike, who was the head coach of the Redskins during that time, were fired. Shanahan is now the head coach of the 49ers and he has found great success in greener pastures, so to speak. With a dominant running game, an elite defense, and a quarterback to can get the job done when asked to do so, Shanahan has crafted a perfect roster that allows his playcalling to take center stage and make Washington fans remember what they let go.
Shanahan remembers the slight of being fired by the Redskins as well. Earlier in the 2019 season, when Washington and San Francisco met at FedEx Field, Shanahan remarked to the media that he definitely missed the players he built relationships with while in Washington, but nothing else about the franchise.
Shanahan has moved on to bigger and better things, and he will have the chance to realize his ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl this weekend. Luckily for Redskins fans, there seems to be a path to success in Washington that is being realized with Ron Rivera, but that won’t quite take away the sting of watching their former OC on the biggest stage this Super Bowl Sunday.
Kendall Fuller — Cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs
Fuller has struggled to find his game in Kansas City ever since being traded from the Redskins as a part of the deal that brought Alex Smith to Washington. Still, from a gravitas standpoint, the move worked out in Fuller’s favor, as he will now have the chance to compete on the biggest stage in all of sports.
With the Redskins, Fuller became a great defender that really helped their secondary. After being drafted by the Redskins in 2016, Fuller found his footing in the second year of his career, racking up four interceptions in 2015. Unfortunately for all, the Redskins ended that relationship by trading Fuller away in the hopes of landing their franchise quarterback in Smith — a deal that ended up working for nobody. Fuller has always been upset with how this trade went down, as he reportedly learned of his departure on Twitter, rather than from the team.
The Redskins are in the market for a cornerback this offseason, and Fuller is set to become a free agent. Who knows, maybe the former Redskin gets his ring in Kansas City and decides that it’s time to mend that relationship in Washington and come back to where his NFL career began.
Bashaud Breeland — Cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs
Breeland has had a great resurgence to his career this year with the Chiefs after leaving the Green Bay Packers ahead of the 2019 season. Breeland has started 15 games this year, grabbing two interceptions and racking up 48 tackles and eight passes defended. He has become a solid part of the Chiefs’ secondary.
Breeland started out his career in Washington, where he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. He played for four years with the Redskins, where he had eight interceptions and seven forced fumbles. In his final year with the team, he took his lone interception 96-yards to the house, recording the first touchdown of his career. Unfortunately, after that 2017 season, Breeland became an unrestricted free agent, and the Redskins were unable to re-sign him.
Now, having spent time in Green Bay and Kansas City, Breeland has found a nice home with the Chiefs, and he has been able to make a difference on their defense, and will likely be an impact player for them in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
