There was an argument that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan should’ve been the NFL’s Coach of the Year in 2019. He took a 4-12 club that picked second in the draft and turned it into a 13-3 Super Bowl runner up in just one year. The odds that he follows that up with a strong performance and win Coach of the Year in 2020 are in his favor.
Sports betting site BetMGM has Shanahan tied with Colts head coach Frank Reich atop the early Coach of the Year Odds. Both coaches are sitting at +1000, meaning a $100 bet wins $1000.
The path for Shanahan winning the honor in 2020 is pretty clear. If San Francisco follows up their Super Bowl run with another first-place finish in the NFC, he’ll be in the conversation.
Where he can earn the award is in how they get to that point. A simple repeat of their 2019 formula probably won’t be enough. If the defense sees a regression though, and puts more of the onus on Shanahan’s offense to win games, he has a chance to become the runaway winner.
A season where the 49ers score more than 30 points per game, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo does more of the heavy lifting will put a spotlight on the offense that has become Shanahan’s calling card as a coach. If it’s the offense that’s leading the 49ers to 12 or 13 wins and a first-round bye in the playoffs, in a year following a Super Bowl loss, it’ll be hard to deny Shanahan’s worthiness of winning Coach of the Year.
Even though odds tend to fluctuate, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Shanahan stay atop the board for the entire offseason.
Here are the top odds-getters from BetMGM:
Kyle Shanahan +1000
Frank Reich +1000
Bill Belichick +1200
Sean McDermott +1400
Bruce Arians +1400
Mike Vrabel +1400
Andy Reid +1600
John Harbaugh +1600
Pete Carroll +1600
Sean Payton +1600
Brian Flores +1600
Mike McCarthy +1600
