49ers’ Kyle Shanahan says he’s ‘moved on’ from Redskins dysfunction

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As his San Francisco 49ers prepare to play the Washington Redskins on Sunday, coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t exactly nostalgic about returning to the nation’s capital.

Shanahan served as Washington’s offensive coordinator from 2010 to 2013, working with his father, Mike, who was the head coach at the time.

On Wednesday, Shanahan was asked what his favorite part of his time in Washington was.

“Being able to work with my dad and be around some other good coaches,” Shanahan said.

And the worst part?

“Everything else,” Shanahan said.

After a brief pause, Shanahan added that he did like working with “a lot of the players,” too. While it’s clear Shanahan has not forgotten his tumultuous time in Washington, he insists that there’s no added motivation this weekend against the Redskins other than trying to get his team to its first 6-0 start since 1990.

“No, not at all,” Shanahan said. “That was a while ago. I’ve been in three different buildings since. My dad retired. He’s good. We’ve accepted what we had to deal with there and moved on. We’ll watch other people deal with it.”

Aside from an NFC East division title in 2012, Kyle Shanahan’s time in Washington was mostly marked by controversy surrounding the team. The Redskins did not have a winning record in any of the other three seasons Shanahan was on staff, and Shanahan has previously made it clear that he didn’t care for the how the organization was run or the trade for and subsequent handling of quarterback Robert Griffin III, among a variety of other issues.

Shanahan took over as the Niners’ head coach in 2017 after serving as the Atlanta Falcons‘ offensive coordinator the previous two seasons. Sunday’s game will be the 49ers’ second trip to Washington since Shanahan became the head coach.

The 49ers lost 26-24 to Washington in Week 6 of the 2017 season at FedEx Field. This time, the Niners head into Sunday’s game at 5-0, while Washington is 1-5 and recently fired head coach Jay Gruden. San Francisco enters the matchup as a 10-point favorite.