In 2017, Kyle Shanahan was a candidate for the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Rams. Obviously, the San Francisco 49ers’ division rival went in another direction, hiring Sean McVay, but it wasn’t necessarily because they felt him to be better than Shanahan. The Rams couldn’t figure out how to interview the future 49ers head coach, so they had to eliminate him from contention.
Shanahan, then an offensive coordinator, was amid a playoff run with the Atlanta Falcons. He was among the favorites to land a head coaching job, and the Rams were definitely intrigued by the young brilliant football mind.
“Unfortunately, we could never interview Kyle,” Rams general manager Les Snead recently said in an interview for The Athletic’s five-part podcast series, “The Playcallers.”
While the 49ers were set to interview McVay, the Rams had an interview scheduled with Shanahan. However, Mother Nature had other plans.
“Then there was a snowstorm in [the] New England area,” Snead shared.
The Rams were there to speak with the offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator of the Patriots—Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia. Unfortunately, they couldn’t leave town. Their plane was grounded. They couldn’t get to Atlanta to meet with Shanahan.
“And at that point, they were rolling in the playoffs,” Snead continued. “… We couldn’t get there. We did ask Kyle, ‘Hey, would you like to FaceTime?’ He really didn’t want to do that. So at that point in time, we passed on the interview.
“That weather event and whatever occurred because of it, it definitely changed the course of the NFC West. We hired Sean McVay. San Francisco hired Kyle Shanahan.”
Undoubtedly, the weather might have significantly impacted the NFC West landscape. Who knows what might have happened had the Rams encountered clearer skies? Maybe it would be the 49ers facing Shanahan twice each season.
