‘That was Frustrating:’ NFC West Rival Coach Reveals Reaction to Stafford Trade

Getty San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay shake hands before a 2020 regular season game. Shanahan revealed on the Wednesday edition of McVay's "Flying Coach" podcast that he, too, had interest in Matthew Stafford, saying it was "frustrating" that the move was completed by the Rams.

The only time former Washington assistants Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan come together now is when McVay’s Los Angeles Rams go against Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers.

However, the two came together on Wednesday for the latest “Flying Coach” podcast after what co-host Peter Schrager called a demand for listeners to get the NFC West rivals on the show. But while both are in the business of coaching their teams to beat the other, Shanahan and McVay acknowledge they’re good friends and have respect for one another including their decision making.

Except for one 2021 move McVay helped orchestrate that irked Shanahan, the latter unveiled. That move: The trade for Matthew Stafford, a quarterback Shanahan acknowledged he also wanted.

“You don’t want to get me started, dude,” Shanahan told McVay. “That was frustrating.”

Where was Shanahan on January 31?

Turns out McVay and Stafford weren’t the only ones who took a trip to Cabo, Mexico, as reported by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

“I was in Cabo. I was studying it all,” Shanahan said. “I remember looking through it because everybody was telling me it was a possibility. Stafford’s the man.”

The 41-year-old Shanahan then stated he’s long been a fan of Stafford, dating back to when the Georgia Bulldog came into the league in 2009 during a time Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans.

“I studied him hard coming out of college,” Shanahan said. “And you always play against him, so you know how good he is. But to know he might be available and to spend two weeks really watching him, Sean, yeah, he’s better than I realized. He was the man. He’s actually underrated to me. I know how good of a guy you got. I know how good he is at play-action. I know how smart he is. Not only does he just have a big arm, but he’s got touch, he knows where to go with the ball. So I was trying to get involved in it.”

Shanahan Couldn’t Finish His Night

Shanahan vacationed with his wife Mandy in Cabo. He admits he began getting paranoid about where Stafford would end up.

“I remember Saturday I was so stressed out and finally we talked to someone, it was seven at night, and they’re like, ‘No, nothing’s happening (with a trade) at the earliest until tomorrow, so you can finish your night.’ So I’m like, alright, I’m done. I put my phone down, talk to Mandy. I’m like, alright, ‘Let’s go out to dinner, let’s have some drinks,'” Shanahan said. “Half an hour later, my buddy calls me and is like, ‘I’m just telling ya, if you want Stafford, you need to get a hold of him right now.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean? We just talked to people. I can sleep on this. We’ll talk to them tomorrow.'”

But, on the other line, the conversation ended with: “‘I’m just telling you, you need to talk to him right now.’ And I knew it. It was all over.”

To which McVay playfully ribbed “If it makes you feel any better, it came together faster than I thought, too, Kyle,” leading to laughs.