PFF Ranks 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan 7th Among NFL Head Coaches

Kyle Shanahan is one of the most divisive head coaches in the NFL.

Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walks the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Kyle Shanahan is one of the most divisive head coaches in the NFL.

Some people think he's underrated, citing his four NFC Championship appearances and two Super Bowl appearances in eight seasons as a head coach.

Some people think he's overrated, citing his four double-digit-loss seasons and two fourth-quarter Super Bowl collapses as a head coach.

Last season arguably was the worst of Shanahan's career. To be fair, his team suffered lots of injuries. Still, it underperformed and lost all but one of its close games. That's on him.

And that's a big reason why Pro Football Focus ranks Shanahan seventh among NFL head coaches entering the 2025 season.

"Shanahan is still one of the game’s greatest offensive minds and best head coaches," writes PFF's Dalton Wasserman. "After appearing in their second Super Bowl in five seasons in 2023, the 49ers took a big step back last season. However, they started 5-4 before losing seven of their final eight games. Those shortcomings came about more due to injuries to star players and a lack of run defense than anything within Shanahan’s control.

"Despite their difficulties, Shanahan’s 49ers still ranked ninth in PFF grade last season, the second-highest mark by any team with a losing record. Offensively, San Francisco still notched the fifth-best PFF grade in the league despite injuries to superstars Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams. Shanahan’s playcalling and work to develop Brock Purdy are the biggest factors in that success. If they are healthy, the 49ers are a legitimate bounce-back candidate this season."

Wasserman is quite generous to Shanahan in his analysis. You could argue that Shanahan was very much responsible for the 49ers' poor run defense, considering he fired Steve Wilks and replaced him with Nick Sorensen, who was so bad, he doesn't even coach defense anymore. He now is the Dallas Cowboys' special teams coordinator.

This is a big season for Shanahan. If he brings the 49ers back to the playoffs as people expect him to, he just might get an extension. But, if he misses the playoffs for the second season in a row, he just might get fired.

Big season for Shanahan.