Where Kyle Shanahan Ranks Among the Best Active NFL Coaches

The San Francisco 49ers have recently been criticized for their draft success, and it is fair to point out. The push back to that criticism is that the team continues to win and play in high-stakes games. That might have more to do with their General Manager than their head coach, though.

Do the San Francisco 49ers have one of the best head coaches in the NFL?

Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports recently ranked the 32 NFL coaches. Kyle Shanahan was not going to be too low, but he came in at number three, putting him amongst the elite names in the NFL.

If “Shanny Ball” can actually denote toughness moving forward, Shanahan will soon shed his moniker as the best active coach not to lift a Lombardi
Patrick Daugherty

Shanahan has always had a good reputation, but last year was going to seal his fate. That is why he jumped from four to three on this list. The 2025 season was a masterclass from Shanahan. He lost every receiver for certain points, he lost George Kittle for stretches, he lost Trent Williams in a massive moment, and of course, Brock Purdy missed a good chunk of time. That does not even mention the defense that was without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for most of the year.

Still, Shanahan gets direct responsibility for the offense, and that unit was excellent despite the turmoil. Hiring Robert Saleh is a big part of the job, and Shanahan gets credit for that as well. Beating the Los Angeles Rams on the road on a short week without many top starters could only be topped by beating the defending Super Bowl champions in their house, and doing it shorthanded. These signature moments are why it is hard to deny the ranking.

Andy Reid and Sean McVay are the top two on the list, and we know what separates Shanahan from being in the discussion with these two. They both have Super Bowl rings, and Reid has multiple championships. Shanahan does not.

Shanahan finished ahead of Mike MacDonald and Sean Payton, who round out the top five. Both of them have a ring, while Shanahan does not. That speaks to the respect Shanahan has while also acknowledging he cannot be in the top two.

The top ten is rounded out with Jim Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel, Dan Campbell, Nick Sirianni, and Matt LaFleur. Sirianni is the only one with a Super Bowl ring from that group, and Shanahan beat him in his house, so it makes sense he is ranked higher. Considering the rest do not either, five is as low as you can possibly rank Shanahan right now.

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