49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Breaks Top 10 NFL Best Coaches
49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Breaks Top 10 NFL Best Coaches originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The San Francisco 49ers have had an immeasurable amount of success since the arrival of Kyle Shanahan in 2017.
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Four NFC Championship games and two Super Bowl appearances make San Francisco the most successful NFC team from 2019-23, although a Super Bowl title still eludes Shanahan.
And that's the goal, of course. The 49ers' last Super Bowl title came after the 1994 season with a 49-26 win over the then-San Diego Chargers.
But the Shanahan train keeps rolling through Santa Clara, and he just cracked the top 10 of Pro Football Focus' best coaches in the NFL.
"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.
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"Shanahan's system is one of the biggest reasons why some people doubt Purdy. It just works. However, the Niners have experienced plenty of volatility under Shanahan, posting four 10-loss seasons in eight years. Injuries have derailed promising seasons, but as the head coach, he must answer the questions that come his way."
"Despite never hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Shanahan has four double-digit win seasons, including three in the last four years, and multiple NFC Championship appearances. He still has one of the NFL's most respected reputations."
A lot of the credit to Shanahan is due to his prowess as an offensive mind. Maybe even more so than his accomplishments as a head coach.
There's no arguing that he's good at both.
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Related: 49ers Running Back Room Clears Top 15 in Recent Rankings
Related: Analyst Concerned for Christian McCaffrey 'Workload' for 49ers
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
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