A familiar face and living legend in the Bay Area will no longer be a part of the San Francisco 49ers organization.
CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco has the scoop: Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff will not have Tom Rathman on it.
Shanahan has brought with him running backs coach Bobby Turner, a promise he made to the 67-year-old, who most famously coached the Denver Broncos running backs from 1995-2009.
“I’m not going to be back,” Rathman told Maiocco. “I feel like it’s the best for everybody if I just parted and let those guys do their thing and take me out of the equation so that nobody’s uncomfortable.”
Shanahan told the media on Thursday he was trying to carve a role for Rathman on his staff, but the former 49ers running back did not think a role as an offensive assistant would be best for any party involved.
“It was all positive,” Rathman told Maiocco. “I have no hard feelings. It’s just the nature of the business. Everybody just has to understand that. In pro football, coaches get fired and new guys come in and they bring their guys. I totally understand it. I don’t have a problem with it. Being in the business for 28 years, playing and coaching, you understand what it is. You can never take anything for granted.”
A third-round pick out of Nebraska in 1986, Rathman played with the 49ers for seven seasons and then joined the team as a coach from 1997-2002. He had stints with the Lions and Raiders before returning to the 49ers in 2009. Jim Harbaugh, Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly all kept him on the staff.
On Saturday night, Carlos Hyde posted a picture of him and Rathman together without a caption. No doubt, that room will miss his presence, but Turner does bring a track record of success with him too.