San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has had a lot of ups and down in his eight years leading the team. Eight years will take its toll on anyone, but a recent picture shows just how much Shanahan has aged in that time.
A side-by-side comparison of Shanahan at his introductory press conference in 2017 and a recent picture of him at the NFL owners meeting shows his age transformation. The change is jarring as there is a clean-shaven, dark-haired man on the left and a grizzled, grey-haired man who looks haunted in the second.
You can check out the side-by-side photo comp here.
Now, to be fair, eight years is a long time and anyone is going to show some signs of aging from the age 38 to 45. However, the stresses and disappointments that Shanahan has had to endure during his tenure with San Francisco have certainly contributed to his aging.
In those eight years, the 49ers have literally been boom-or-bust. Shanahan has led the team to deep playoff runs in four of those years, resulting in two Super Bowl losses and two losses in the NFC championship game. The other four years have resulted in the team not even making the postseason.
That is a pretty drastic range of emotions to experience in eight years. He has had to deal with quarterback controversies, times when he was firmly on the hot seat, and obviously lots of heartbreak.
There is a common perception that U.S. presidents age more rapidly while in office given the rigors and stresses of the job. While that may not be entirely true, it would not be all that surprising if Shanahan has at least a few more grey hairs thanks to all of the disappointment he has had to deal with while leading the 49ers.
Things do not seem likely to get any less stressful for Shanahan going forward. He is probably going to be asked to do more with less in 2025 after the 49ers have either gotten rid of key players via trade, through release or have lost them in free agency.
It will not be an easy task, but Shanahan has proven that he can come up with the good when his back is against the wall in the past. 2025 may be a big test of his abilities as a coach and it would not be surprising if his beard is a little more grey at the end of the year as a result.
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