There’s an alternate universe where Kyle Shanahan is the Los Angeles Rams’ head coach.
OK, maybe not. But the possibility of that happening was squashed by a 2017 winter storm.
"Unfortunately, we could never interview Kyle," Rams general manager Les Snead recently said on “The Playcallers” podcast series (h/t 49ers Webzone). "There was a snowstorm in [the] New England area.”
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Snead revealed the Rams’ brass was over there in January 2017 to interview New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia for the franchise's head-coaching job, which was open after Jeff Fisher was fired in 2016.
The snowstorm grounded the Rams' plane in New England, meaning they couldn't fly to Atlanta to interview Shanahan, who was in the middle of a playoff run as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator.
Shanahan didn’t want to interview with the Rams over FaceTime, and the conversation never took place.
Instead of the Rams interviewing Shanahan for the role, they brought in 30-year-old Sean McVay to become the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. The 49ers named Shanahan their new head coach on Feb. 6, 2017, one day after the Falcons lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
San Francisco 49ers
The two coaches have been rivals ever since. Shanahan owns a 9-4 record against McVay and the Rams since taking over the 49ers' sideline, although Los Angeles had the last laugh by beating San Francisco in the 2022 NFC Championship Game and winning Super Bowl LVI.
Who knows what would've happened if the Rams' flight took off for Atlanta?