How Coach Prime Gave a Young Kyle Shanahan a Smooth Business Lesson

These days, both Deion Sanders and Kyle Shanahan are two of the biggest names in football coaching. They work at different levels and have taken different roads to the sidelines, but they're not on a (relatively) equal footing.

That wasn't always the case, though.

During Neon Deion's time with the 49ers, Shanahan served as a ball boy; his father, Mike, was the club's offensive coordinator. That put Kyle in line to receive a gift from the superstar in the form of an autographed jersey.

And when the boy refused to sell that jersey for $200, you'd probably think that Sanders would have admired his dedication, right? Think again. This is Prime Time we're talking about, after all.

Sanders Gave Shanahan a Jersey and a Business Tip

Growing up, every sports fan had their own list of athletes they looked up to. As a 49ers ball boy, Kyle Shanahan got to do more than simply watch his heroes from afar.

In an ESPN piece sharing various memories from Sanders' career, Mike Shanahan recounted how his son looked up to Sanders. On one occasion, though, that affinity for Prime Time set a unique chain of events in motion.

"Kyle was a ball boy for us -- he was probably in eighth grade. He comes to me one day and says, 'Deion and some of the veterans are going to take all of the ball boys to dinner, is it OK if I go with them?' I say sure; I think it was Harris Barton, Steve Young, [Tom] Rathman, a bunch of players in that veteran group, and Deion," the former coach remembered. "So they go to dinner and Kyle wears his 49ers jersey to dinner, Deion's jersey, No. 21, that Deion had signed for him. Kyle's at the restaurant and somebody sees Kyle on the way out and offers Kyle $200 for the jersey. Deion doesn't see it happen, but all of the other ball boys see it happen, some of the other players see it. Kyle says, 'No way, not selling.'"

Eventually, the story of what happened reached Sanders himself. And while it's tempting to imagine a Hollywood-style outcome—think Deion hearing what happened, appreciating Shanahan's loyalty and showering him with gifts—things played out a bit differently. In Sanders' mind, the ball boy had missed a golden opportunity.

"Next day at practice, Deion sees Kyle and points at him and, you know, kind of motions Kyle to come over to where he is," Mike Shanahan continued. "And in that voice he has when he's really asking a question, Deion goes, 'Did I understand this right? Did I hear this right? Did you have some guy come up to you last night in that restaurant and offer you $200 for my jersey and you wouldn't sell it to him?' Kyle says he refused to sell it, and Deion looks at him and says, 'I'm going to teach you some business. No. 1, I get these jerseys for free, all you had to do was sell it, come to me, get another one and I'll sign it.' ... Deion just keeps going, says to Kyle, 'Hey, you have to recognize business opportunities.'"

Shanahan's Financial Situation Is Much Different Today

While Sanders' take seems a bit jarring, he does have a point. $200 is a hefty sum for an eighth grader, even if his dad is an NFL coach. These days, though, Kyle Shanahan is in a much more stable financial situation.

The coach has been working in the pros since 2004; those entry-level jobs don't pay a fortune, but he has been earning money in the NFL for nearly 20 years. Shanahan was also an offensive coordinator from 2008 through 2016, and the importance of that position presumably brings a sizable paycheck.

In 2017, Shanahan ascended to the top spot, taking over as the San Francisco 49ers head coach. While NFL teams usually don't disclose coaching salaries, we do have some financial clues.

Then, in 2020, the Niners inked their bench boss to an extension; ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the pact made Shanahan one of the top-five highest-paid coaches in the league.

That's not the end of his earning power, though. In September 2023, the coach agreed to another extension. The terms weren't made public, but it's tough to imagine that Shanahan would have accepted a pay cut, given his NFL success.

So, even though we don't have the exact figures, it's safe to assume that Kyle Shanahan is sitting pretty from a financial perspective. If nothing else, he can afford a signed Deion Sanders jersey without too much trouble.