Kyle Shanahan grew up around the 49ers, literally. While his dad, Mike, was running the offense in San Francisco from 1992-94, Kyle was the ball boy, absorbing everything he could about the sport. So, when Mike tried to pry quarterback Steve Young away from the Niners after becoming the Denver Broncos’ head coach, a teenage Kyle couldn’t help but feel excited. And he remembers it like it was yesterday.

“I remember when he was telling me about Steve Young. That was so cool. I remember I was always trying to hope that he [Mike Shanahan] could pull that off when John [Elway] retired,” said Kyle Shanahan. “I wish he would have done it.”

You can understand why. Those were the transformative years for Kyle Shanahan. He had a front-row seat to Steve Young’s best work, including that 1994 season when the Niners rolled to a Super Bowl XXIX win.

Kyle Shanahan watched Young carve up San Diego that day with six touchdown passes. Then he watched his dad take the Denver job and build a powerhouse of his own. The Broncos won back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998, and then John Elway retired. But what followed in 1999 was rough: Running back Terrell Davis blew out his knee, and without him, everything fell apart.

After the ACL and MCL tears, he never quite made it back. In 2000, he missed most of the season again with a stress reaction injury in his leg and procedures on both knees.

Then, there was Brian Griese, who stepped in at quarterback, and like any young QB thrown into the deep end, he struggled. For Kyle Shanahan, it was a reminder of how steady and special Young had been. So, it made sense that a part of him hoped his dad might find a way to bring Young to Denver.

Shanahan knew that his father would have a strong pull, considering he was the 49ers‘ offensive coordinator when Young was leading San Francisco to a Super Bowl.

But it’s easy to forget the other side of that picture.

Young would’ve been 39 by the 2000 season. Even if he had said yes, history tells us what quarterbacks in their late 30s look like, especially ones who’ve had their share of injuries. Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and even the greatest of all could hit the wall.

So sure, the idea was fun for a teenager to dream about, especially one who idolized Young and watched him up close. But from Young’s perspective, the decision wasn’t that simple. Mike Shanahan might’ve wanted him, and Young had battled through plenty in San Francisco at the time, but the reality was complicated.

Why Steve Young decided against joining the Broncos

Steve Young once told a story on ‘Pardon My Take’ that would stop you in your tracks. He admitted he came closer than most people realize to joining the Broncos for the 2000 season, right after John Elway walked away. And when you hear him walk through the decision, you get why it never happened.

“I spent some time in Denver, and we were thinking about it,” Young said last year. “(Shanahan) was all in, and I don’t know. My wife says that’s one of the things she regrets not pushing me harder to do it.”

Young explained that he had just gotten married and, in his words, was “emotionally cooked.” It wasn’t just football fatigue. He had barely played in 1999, and the physical toll of the game had finally caught up to him. When you’re trying to start a family, and you’re coming off multiple injuries, the idea of uprooting everything for one more run suddenly feels heavier.

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His last season in San Francisco had ended with a concussion on Monday Night Football against Arizona, his second of the year. By then, the number of concussions in his career was well past the point where anyone felt comfortable.

The 49ers essentially told him the choice was simple: retire, or we’ll move on without you. Even after sitting down with Mike Shanahan to talk through the possibility of heading to Denver, Young walked away from the game.

Maybe things would’ve played out differently had he taken the Broncos up on it. But listening to him now, it doesn’t sound like a man who second-guesses walking away. It sounds like someone who made peace with the moment and knew exactly why he had to.