The San Francisco 49ers just completed one of the most disappointing seasons of any NFL team in recent memory. Such seasons sometimes call for a shake-up.

After suffering a 6-11 record the year after making it to the Super Bowl, the 49ers are in a state of flux. They already fired two coordinators, and their roster of superstars includes a number of marquee free agents.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has become universally acknowledged as one of the sport’s top offensive innovators. He’s been in San Francisco since the start of the 2017 season, but it’s hard to say how much longer he definitively wants to remain there.

Though there’s always going to be speculation about NFL head coaches’ job security on sub-.500 teams, it doesn’t appear that Shanahan is in any danger of being fired. But what if a team called the 49ers with a godfather offer to trade for the two-time conference champion?

Alan Goldsher of Chicago Bears on Sports Illustrated recently proposed a blockbuster deal that would send Shanahan to the Bears in exchange for wide receiver D.J. Moore, Chicago’s number-one pass-catcher in 2024, and a 2025 second-round pick.

“Last season, the injury-riddled Niners saddled Shanahan with his first sub-.500 record since 2020, and the vibe in the Bay wasn’t what you’d call optimal,” Goldsher wrote.

“Shanahan might welcome a change of scenery, and the Niners would definitely welcome Moore, who would be an ideal replacement for the likely-soon-to-be-waived Deebo Samuel.”

It’s almost impossible to project what it would take to trade a head coach, because it depends entirely on how much the franchise cares about keeping that coach. Even for as good as Moore has been at his best (1,364 yards in 2023), he wouldn’t be more valuable to the 49ers than Shanahan is.

Is it likely at all that San Francisco will let Shanahan walk to the desperate Bears? The smart money points to “no” at this point, but in the modern NFL, it’s unwise to rule any transaction out entirely.