It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later.

OK, it’s not that deep, but parting ways with a teammate, player or coach in the NFL can be difficult for even the league’s most level-headed figures. Kyle Shanahan is no different.

The 49ers coach spoke exclusively with the San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on the latest episode of “The TK Show” podcast, and was asked about the team’s difficult decisions to part with foundational players, like wide receiver Deebo Samuel this offseason, and how difficult it is not to let his emotions play a role in doing what’s best for the team.

“My emotions are in everything, but I can balance my emotions with my education for how the league’s supposed to be,” Shanahan told Kawakami. “How you are supposed to run a team, the tough decisions you have to make. I have a lot of love for a lot of these guys, but I also know my responsibility and I think everyone knows that with me and that doesn’t change at all. Very consistent in that.

“But to lose some of these guys, yeah, a little depression. One, they’re really good players. You can’t win without good players. Two, I’m very close with some of these guys. I’ve gone through eight to six years with all of them. So that’s also a big deal. And you don’t know how you’re replacing them, either.”

While losing players and coaches year in and year out might be difficult, what impacts Shanahan’s emotions the most, is how the team performs on the field from week-to-week and in the immediate future.

“I will never make an emotional-attachment decision,” Shanahan added. “What will get me the most emotional is what helps us win now. But what is always in my mind is what can help us have sustained success. And those are the two things that you tie together, no matter how hard it might be to lose somebody like that. A coach, a friend, whatever it is, when it comes to what’s right for the organization and what I’ve learned over my life, that’ll never get gray for me.”

Winning cures everything, and if San Francisco can bounce back from a miserable 6-10 season in 2024, the difficult decisions the 49ers had to make this offseason all will be worth it.

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