There is that small (but vocal) contingent of San Francisco 49ers fans who argue head coach Kyle Shanahan should be shown the door, but the overwhelming majority of persons with an opinion on the matter recognize Shanahan is one of the league's best head coaches.
Former cornerback Richard Sherman has constantly endorsed Shanahan over the years, and even tight end George Kittle called the coach's critics, "not the smartest."
Tack on Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport as one of those who view Shanahan as among the NFL's best.
Davenport's list of the 10 best coaches entering 2026 puts the Niners leader toward the very top, No. 3 overall, in a pantheon of some pretty impressive names. That outranks last season's Super Bowl winner, Mike Macdonald, of the Seattle Seahawks, who came in fourth overall. And the only two to best Shanahan on said list were the Kansas City Chiefs' Andy Reid (No. 2) and Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams (No. 1).
All that sounds fine, and the list certainly further puts down the argument of Shanahan needing to be on a hot seat.
But there's a catch.
Kyle Shanahan has 1 glaring line missing from his coaching résumé
Of the top six coaches mentioned, Shanahan is the lone one without a Super Bowl victory to his crown. The Denver Broncos' Sean Payton (No. 5) won one with the New Orleans Saints, while Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6) has a Super Bowl ring, too.
Despite two Super Bowl appearances since taking over duties in 2017, both losses to Reid's Chiefs, the Lombardi Trophy has been elusive for Shanahan, and Davenport didn't shy away from pointing that out:
Kyle Shanahan is still chasing his white whale. Since taking over the 49ers in 2017, he has twice led them to the Super Bowl. The Niners led both games by double-digits but lost both to the Kansas City Chiefs. ...
Even without the Super Bowl win, Shanahan is one of the best coaches in the game. There isn't a better offensive mind in the NFL, and his fingerprints are on offenses all over the league.
He gets his championship, and the Hall of Fame is going to enter the conversation.
This has led to some believing Shanahan "can't win the big one," which might be a fair argument until he, well... actually wins a Super Bowl. But, one can't ignore the fact Shanahan has consistently put his San Francisco teams in a position to be a top contender on a year-to-year basis.
And that's more than what the overwhelming majority of coaches around the league can claim to have done.
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