In an ideal world, the San Francisco 49ers wouldn't just be hosting Super Bowl 60 at their home venue, Levi's Stadium, but they'd also be participating in it.
Alas, though, the Niners ran into a buzzsaw during the divisional round of the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks, who'll ultimately be representing the NFC on Super Bowl Sunday against the New England Patriots.
Still, the fact San Francisco managed to pull off 12 regular-season wins while also advancing beyond the Wild Card round is nothing short of amazing, especially considering the slew of injuries to key players it had to overcome throughout the course of the year.
If there was one constant, it was head coach Kyle Shanahan. At least according to team owner Jed York.
Jed York declares Kyle Shanahan as the favorite to win Coach of the Year
In advance of the Super Bowl, York sat down with Kay Adams of the Up & Adams Show and talked up his head coach, Shanahan.
"Kyle [Shanahan] deserves to win Coach of the Year... This reminds me of the old-school 49ers where it really was the next man up philosophy."
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 3, 2026
49ers owner Jed York says this year's squad reminds him of the Bill Walsh era 👀@JedYork | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/yE8FrSqI1e
"I think Kyle deserves to win Coach of the Year," York told Adams. "I think that's a no-brainer. We had so many things come up that we were able to overcome, and I think it's a testament to Kyle."
Granted, Shanahan will have other top contenders for the award, including one who'll have a chance of hoisting the elusive Lombardi Trophy, the Pats' Mike Vrabel, whose team's turnaround from 2024 has been nothing short of spectacular, too.
Heck, even Hawks head coach Mike Macdonald has to be in the mix as well.
That said, Shanahan certainly did more with less, including overcoming an eight-game stretch with backup quarterback Mac Jones under center when Brock Purdy was out with a turf-toe injury.
The 49ers went 5-3 during that span, which was crucial in salvaging their season.
Additionally, of course, the Niners would have suffered if it wasn't for the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, whose tutelage got the most out of a banged-up defense that lost stalwarts like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for the majority of the year.
"Obviously, Saleh, I'm bummed to lose him, but super happy for him that he's back as a head coach," York added in light of Saleh's accepting of the Tennessee Titans' head-coaching gig. "I don't know that he should have lost a head coaching job in the first place, but he showed you how special he is."
York also acknowledged how San Francisco should have no problem returning to the ranks of the top postseason contenders in 2026, and most 49ers fans certainly share that optimism.