Kyle Shanahan is a Finalist for the 2023 Coach of the Year Award

It's official.

Kyle Shanahan has been named a finalist to win the 2023 NFL Coach of the Year award. This was to be expected given how amazing of a season the 49ers have had.

Leading a team to the No. 1 seed with a 12-5 record is always a sure lock to be named as a finalist for the award. Shanahan also gets credit for how Brock Purdy has looked as well along with how prolific the offense is. The other finalists for the award are Lions' Dan Campbell, Ravens' John Harbaugh, Browns' Kevin Stefanski, and Texans' DeMeco Ryans.

Shanahan is arguably the best coach out of all them, so you would think the award would end up going to him. Unfortunately, the Coach of the Year award has mostly gone to head coaches that have led overachieving teams. Meaning, it goes to the coach who took a bottom feeding team the last year into relevance or prominence this year. The 49ers have maintained great success practically every year since 2019.

In a way, Shanahan is being punished for that as he gets brushed off year after year for the award. Kind of unfair when you consider it from that perspective. Shanahan really should have a Coach of the Year award by now, and that should've occurred when he was first nominated in 2019.

I would suspect that the coach who wins the award this year will be former 49ers defensive coordinator Ryans. I don't expect much of any complaints from Shanahan or even fans as Ryans was a beloved person with the 49ers. But who knows. It could very well end up as Shanahan. I just wouldn't hold my breath that it will come to fruition.

Either way, it is indicative of the caliber of coach that Shanahan is with him being named as a finalist once again.