Kyle Shanahan is an awfully good head coach. And while he has his faults and isn't immune to any sort of criticism, the fact he's now one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NFL despite it feeling like he wasn't hired for his job all that long ago (2017) speaks measures.
Judging by team owner Jed York's comments from over the winter, it sounds like the San Francisco 49ers aren't going to be considering moving on from Shanahan at any point in the near or long-term future.
That said, it's fair to wonder just how good Shanahan is in contrast to the other top coaches from around the league. Is he top 10? Top five? Top three?
According to NBC Sports' Patrick Daugherty, you might be surprised.
Kyle Shanahan surprisingly lands 3rd on recent head coach rankings
Daugherty did a power rankings-style list of head coaches entering 2026, placing the league's latest wave of new-hires toward the bottom of the list, effectively unranked.
Even the harshest of critics would likely place Shanahan in the top 10 (his Niners have been perennial Super Bowl contenders since 2019, when healthy), but Daugherty's decision to put the head coach at No. 3 is quite the eyebrow raiser.
Especially when Shanahan ranks ahead of other names like Mike Macdonald (No. 4) of the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks.
However, what influenced Daugherty's choice is something every San Francisco fan noticed last season: Shanahan's ability to get the absolute most out of a historically banged-up 49ers squad that far exceeded realstic expectations for teams beset by that kind of adversity:
Has Shanahan finally discovered something he’s been accused of lacking: Resilience? 2025 had all the hallmarks of a lost 49ers campaign. A biblical wave of injuries, including at quarterback. Acrimonious disputes with the No. 1 and 2 wideouts. Questionable to nonexistent returns from many key recent draft picks.
This would usually be the cue for Shanny to accept his 6-11 fate and start planning for next year’s Super Bowl loss. And yet, there his team was, playing for the NFC’s No. 1 seed in Week 18. Not even the dreary home loss to the Seahawks that ensued could obscure the fact this was a different kind of Shanahan squad, one that actually punched back after getting knocked down. That was confirmed the following week when they upset the Eagles in the Wild Card Round. By that point, another rough loss to the Seahawks in the Divisional Round didn’t even matter.
True, lesser head coaches likely would've seen their teams wilt under the relentless injuries and setbacks, and a 6-11 finish wouldn't have been shocking whatsoever.
Yet it's fair to wonder if Shanahan bears some of the blame for those injuries. While he can't solely be at fault for every single injury-related setback, they did occur on his watch. And it's not as if the Niners have a reputation for staying healthy on a year-to-year basis.
Perhaps third best is a bit too generous. Top five is realistic, and top 10 is a given.
At least it speaks to what Shanahan and Co. overcame last season, though.