Kyle Shanahan is heading into what he hopes will be his last ever game as an assistant coach tomorrow at Super Bowl LI. And he’s heading into it with recognition as the best assistant in the league.
The NFL announced that Shanahan has been named the assistant coach of the year. He’ll call the Falcons’ offense tomorrow in the Super Bowl, and then he’ll become head coach of the 49ers. If he does that job well, he’ll never be an assistant again.
But he was undeniably a great assistant in Atlanta. He’s helped to build an offense that was the best in football in 2016, and that earned him the top job in San Francisco.
The assistant coach of the year award has only been around for three years, and Shanahan is the first offensive coach to win it. It previously went to then-Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and then-Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.