49ers Extend HC Kyle Shanahan

Now in his 10th year with the 49ers, Shanahan and his team got off to a tremendous start with a season-opening victory over the NFC West rival Rams on Thursday. Although the Rams entered the campaign as Super Bowl favorites, they were no match for the 49ers in a 27-7 blowout in Australia. Shanahan, an offensive guru, oversaw an attack that racked up 379 total yards in a dominant effort.

Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, who each joined the 49ers in 2017, went through a pair of lean years to begin their tenures. The 49ers stumbled to a 10-22 record in that span, but they have since reeled off five seasons of at least a dozen wins and earned three division titles.

The Shanahan-led 49ers won the NFC with Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback in 2019, but they were unable to overcome the Chiefs in a 31-20 loss in Super Bowl LIV. The 49ers returned to the game’s biggest stage, Super Bowl LVIII, with Brock Purdy under center in 2023. However, the Chiefs had their number again in a 25-22 overtime thriller.

While a championship continued to elude Shanahan in 2025, it was one of his finest coaching performances yet. The 49ers battled a rash of serious injuries to cornerstone players, including Purdy, Fred Warner, George Kittle and Nick Bosa, but still finished 12-5 and won a road wild-card game in Philadelphia. The 49ers’ season ground to a halt a week later in a 41-6 thrashing against the division-rival and eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks in the second round. Now healthier, the 49ers are expected to go toe-to-toe with the Rams and Seahawks for the NFC West title this year. At 1-0 apiece, the 49ers and Seahawks have the early edge on the Rams.

San Francisco’s win on Thursday was the 83rd for the 46-year-old Shanahan, who is 16 games over .500 in the regular season and 9-5 in the playoffs. Shanahan is 16 regular-season victories away from overtaking George Seifert (98) for the most in 49ers history. He also needs just two more postseason wins to go by Seifert and the legendary Bill Walsh (10) for first place among 49ers coaches. If things go according to plan for the 49ers, Shanahan will surpass Seifert and Walsh on the way to hoisting his first Lombardi Trophy in February.