San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is very challenging to judge.
He has been the head coach of two Super Bowl teams, the San Francisco 49ers, and has built one of the best offenses in the game. He remains a top play-caller in the sport. Despite all the good that Shanahan has brought, he has yet actually to win a title with the 49ers and has as many losing seasons as he does winning.
Seriously. After 2024's debacle of a finish for the 49ers, Shanahan has four losing seasons of less than seven wins. He currently has four winning seasons to his resume.
Despite the clear inconsistencies, Pro Football Network ranked Shanahan as the sixth-best coach in football.
"Kyle Shanahan remains one of the NFL's brightest minds, capable of building elite offenses and contending with flawed rosters," writes PFN's Brandon Austin.
"In a league dominated by star quarterbacks, the San Francisco 49ers have reached Super Bowls with Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy under center. There are several pieces of evidence to support Shanahan's prowess as an offensive architect, including Matt Ryan's 2016 MVP campaign."
Shanahan's ability to lead multiple quarterbacks to the Super Bowl is impressive—no one denies that. And there is some truth to the belief that San Francisco's injury history has more to do with Shanahan's record than his coaching prowess.
The fact that he ranks above a Super Bowl winner like Sean Payton or Mike Tomlin, though, is a stretch.
Especially considering there is a good chance he may be on the hot seat if San Francisco goes through another down year with an aging roster.