Kyle Shanahan holds top-3 NFL head coach spot despite massive flaw
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is one of the most-respected coaches in the league after nine seasons with the team.
Kyle Shanahan is entering his 10th season with the San Francisco 49ers since taking over as their head coach for Chip Kelly after a disastrous 2-14 season which landed them the second pick in the 2017 NFL draft. Under Shanahan, the 49ers are 82-67 (. 550) in the regular season and 9-5 (.
643) in the postseason. They've made the playoffs five times in his nine seasons, and they've represented the NFC in the Super Bowl twice. With that success, Shanahan landed third (behind Sean McVay and Andy Reid) on Patrick Daugherty's 2026 head coach rankings for NBC Sports.
"Kyle Shanahan’s teams always win at least 12 games except for all the times they don’t," Daugherty wrote. "Shanny has long since established himself as the king of variance. So is life when personnel takes a back seat to scheme and coaching.
But has Shanahan finally discovered something he’s been accused of lacking: Resilience? 2025 had all the hallmarks of a lost 49ers campaign. A biblical wave of injuries, including at quarterback.