Assessing whether this is Kyle Shanahan's best year as 49ers HC

Is this Kyle Shanahan's best year as the 49ers head coach?

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan leaves the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

2025 marked Kyle Shanahan’s ninth season as the 49ers’ head coach.

During his tenure, he has taken the team to two Super Bowls, two NFC Championship Games, and this year reached the Divisional Round.

Where does the 2025 season rank among Kyle Shanahan’s years as head coach of the 49ers?

Why 2025 isn't his best year as head coach

Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks on during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Ultimately, being the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers comes with the pressure and expectation of winning the Super Bowl.

Shanahan has come within one drive of the ultimate prize in football, and this year, reaching the Divisional Round falls well short of that goal.

High expectations will always be a factor when evaluating his legacy. He has come very close on multiple occasions, but he has yet to get over the hump.

Shanahan is one of the league’s most offensive-minded coaches, and arguably one of the greatest in history. While the label ‘genius’ is deserved, it only holds weight if it translates into championships.

Why 2025 is his best year as head coach

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan against the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

By most measures, this season ranks as Shanahan’s best, or at least one of his top three seasons as head coach.

Right from the start of the season, the 49ers were on the back foot, but Shanahan made no excuses and focused on the job at hand.

Injuries from training camp and in preseason really made a massive implication to start the year. In Week 1, the 49ers lost Brock Purdy to turf toe and George Kittle was sidelined for the longest time in his career.

And yet, he developed Mac Jones into the franchise quarterback he was always touted to be, while keeping the team competitive despite season-ending injuries to Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Mykel Williams.

The injuries kept coming, yet the 49ers kept finding ways to win, eventually finishing just one win short of the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

While the Seahawks ultimately claimed that spot, the 49ers can take pride in defeating both the Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams on the road, as both teams will be competing in the upcoming NFC Championship Game.

From a coaching perspective, and with injuries affecting nearly every position, the 49ers finishing 12-5, the same record as their 2023 Super Bowl run, is nothing short of miraculous.

The 2025 season will be remembered for its ‘next man up’ mentality. While injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, the season showed that Shanahan was able to extract the maximum from players who might not be starters on other teams.