PHOENIX — Kyle Shanahan sarcastically said he’s “so fired up” for the 49ers to launch next season with the NFL’s debut in Australia, against the rival Los Angeles Rams, no less.
“That was our goal, to go 19 hours away,” Shanahan said Monday at the NFL’s annual meetings. “We’re going back in time or into the future. We either gain a day or lose a day, I can’t remember which.
“It is what it is. We’ll deal with it.”
The deal: Kick off at 10:35 a.m. in Melbourne on Sept. 11, which translates to 5:35 p.m. PT.
The 49ers are expected to arrive almost a week ahead of the game that will draw over 100,000 fans to Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Outside of the logistical challenges, Shanaahn does not envision much positive to opening in Australia, not to mention having to play another international game later in the season in Mexico City.
“No, not at all,” Shanahan said. “It’s cool for the league. As far a team doing it, no, there’s not much benefit to it. Sometimes it’s nice to get a bye week after, but this is Week 1.”
Shanahan is entering his 10th season, which equals Bill Walsh for the longest tenure in 49ers’ coaching history.
Shanahan isn’t eying an exit from the 49ers; his contract runs at least two more seasons. He debuted well as a television analyst for NBC’s Super Bowl coverage at Levi’s Stadium last month, and then moonlighted as a flag-football coach in a recent exhibition in Los Angeles.
“Those other two options, I don’t think, are the best options for me. So I think I’ll stick with my first one as long as they’ll have me,” Shanahan said. “I’m good coaching. I love coaching, even though I look like I’ve aged 10 years, because I physically have aged 10 years.
Shanahan said he was unaware of his stature with an 82-67 regular-season record, 9-5 in the playoffs. He has the 49ers’ third-most regular-season wins (16 behind George Seifert, 10 behind Walsh) and the most losses. Walsh delivered the 49ers’ first three Super Bowl wins and a 10-4 playoff record; Seifert won Lombardi Trophies with the 1989 and ’94 team, going 10-5 in the postseason.
“But I still feel good. My family still loves it and they’d kill me if I was home a lot more,” Shanahan added. “So we have a good balance and I love doing it.”
Shanahan said he enjoyed working on television but added he had some anxiety because he was ” out of his element.”
“The hardest thing was they’d keep asking questions and I want to answer them,” Shanahan said, “but I’m like, ‘Man, I still work in this league and play against these people.’ That was the hardest thing for me: I couldn’t just talk. You had to be somewhat strategic. You want to say something that actually makes sense but you don’t want to say something that helps somebody.”
The 49ers have gone to the playoffs in five of the past seven seasons, winning at least one game in each postseason trip, with four NFC Championship Game appearances and Super Bowl defeats in the 2019 and ’23 seasons.
Shanahan’s father, Mike, won back-to-back Super Bowls with Denver in his 20 years as an NFL head coach; he was the 49ers’ offensive coordinator on their most recent Super Bowl-winning team in the 1994 season.
Kyle Shanahan said he and his father are “at peace” as the elder waits for potential enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“We all know he’s a Hall of Fame coach,” Kyle Shanahan said. “Other coaches out there deserve it, too. You have to be patient with the pocess and I don’t want to offend anybody. I look at it as a matter of time. I hope it’s sooner or later.”
In terms of his own coaching style, the younger Shanahan noted: “If I’m getting on someone and challenging them, it’s because I believe in them and I’m not getting the fullest from them. When you are in trouble is when I’m never challenging you because I don’t think you’re going to get better.”
NOTES: Shanahan said running back Christian McCaffrey “had an unbelievable year but he definitely needs help.” McCaffrey’s on-field presence kept backups Brian Robinson, Isaac Guerendo and Jordan James on the bench. “Christian was a warrior and stayed healthy all year,” said Shanahan, noting that the run game’s production was the worst of his tenure because of the offense’s overall lack of explosive plays. … Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains in limbo because the 49ers are hoping to trade him before the draft. Said Shanahan: “Hopefully we can get something for it. We’re in no rush. We have to do what’s right for the 49ers.” … Shanahan says he’ll give Brock Purdy a five-item to-do list to get through in the offseason program and training camp. That process starts with video reviews with pretty hard critiques and soft compliments. “Brock’s fun that way. He’s humble and never takes it personally and usually fixes it by training camp,” Shanahan said.