Kyle Shanahan’s ability to keep his top offensive coaches, Mike McDaniel and Mike LaFleur, became more difficult Tuesday as NFL owners relaxed anti-tampering rules to make it easier for assistants to interview for jobs with other teams.
That’s relevant for the 49ers, considering the responsibility that Shanahan has given McDaniel, his running-game coordinator, and LaFleur, his passing-game coordinator. McDaniel and LaFleur have spent 18 combined seasons with Shanahan — 12 by McDaniel — and Shanahan recently blocked interview requests for offensive-coordinator positions for each coach.
On Tuesday, the NFL said teams could no longer deny a coach the chance to interview with another team for a “bona fide” coordinator position. The league defined a bona fide spot as one that “must play a role in the development of the game plan, but is not required to call plays during games.”
Before that distinction, teams such as the 49ers have been able to block assistants from interviewing.
Last year, the 49ers prevented McDaniel from interviewing with the Cardinals and LaFleur from speaking with the Packers because they wouldn’t have had play-calling duties with those teams. Shanahan, the 49ers’ play-caller, gave McDaniel and LaFleur coordinator titles after the 2017 season.
Last year, Shanahan blocked LaFleur from interviewing with his brother, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur, who is the Packers’ play-caller. Shanahan said the move wouldn’t have been a promotion.
“Because he’s my coordinator,” Shanahan said last year when asked about denying the request. “I mean, I get the family stuff and everything, and I’m sure if things got pretty rough for a while, eventually I would’ve softened up and given in — maybe. But Mike’s my coordinator and he does a hell of a job.”
Given their strong ties with Shanahan, viewed as one of the NFL’s best offensive coaches, McDaniel and LaFleur figure to remain assistants of interest. Last year, the 49ers ranked second in the NFL points per game (29.9) and fourth in yards (381.1) en route to a 13-3 regular-season record and a Super Bowl appearance.
Shanahan, a longtime coordinator before he joined the 49ers in 2017, has noted his responsibilities as head coach don’t allow him to focus solely on game-planning. As a result, McDaniel and LaFleur begin the process early in the week.
“You want to (do all the game-planning), but you can’t,” Shanahan said in February. “So you’ve got to have guys that you’ve worked with, guys that can help you, guys that you’re confident in who can do it and so you can catch up later in the week. It’s a lot easier said than done.
“You can’t just pick anyone to do that. I had the two perfect guys that I had been with for a long time. I have a ton of confidence in them, and they get better and better each year. They were great this year and it really helped me.”
On Tuesday, fullback Kyle Juszczyk was asked about the impact of McDaniel and LaFleur in light of the NFL’s change. He noted both coaches have played the lead roles in installing the offense this offseason.
“Both of them could run their own offense right now — I thought they could have years ago,” Juszczyk said. “… It’s going to be a bummer for sure when we lose one of them. They’re going to be really hard to replace because they’re really so invaluable and important to this offense and contribute so much to what we do as a team.”
Eric Branch covers the 49ers for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch
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NFL change could make it harder for 49ers to keep key offensive coaches - San Francisco Chronicle
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