49ers' George Kittle sends messages to NFL about Kyle Shanahan, Mac Jones

Once again, the San Francisco 49ers will enter an NFL season as a favorite to do more than just earn a playoff spot. Thus, certain whispers have suggested that San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan could potentially find himself on the hot seat if his club doesn't at least play in January's NFC Championship Game. 

During a recent chat with Nick Brinkerhoff of USA Today, 49ers tight end George Kittle sent quite a message to anybody who thinks the franchise could find an alleged upgrade at head coach next year. 

George Kittle: Kyle Shanahan critics "are not the smartest"

"Anybody that says Kyle Shanahan is on the hot seat, you guys are not the smartest," Kittle said. "It doesn't make any sense to me."

Since accepting the 49ers' job in 2017, Shanahan has guided the franchise to four NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowl appearances. That said, he has yet to win the final game of a season, and history shows that the NFL is the ultimate "what have you done for me lately?" business. 

Just this past January, Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti unceremoniously fired one-time Super Bowl champion head coach John Harbaugh. 

George Kittle credits Mac Jones for keeping 49ers' 2025 season afloat

Meanwhile, the perception exists that backup quarterback Mac Jones remained with the 49ers this offseason because teams in need of a starting signal-caller wouldn't match San Francisco's asking price to land his services. Jones went 5-3 while serving as the 49ers' temporary starter last season when first-choice option Brock Purdy missed games due to a lingering toe issue. 

"When you have a quarterback who could start on plenty of other teams, in my opinion, come in and win games the way that he won them," Kittle said about Jones. "You really keep teams together in a tough situation by continuing to win games. That's what keeps guys together, that's what keeps the locker room healthy."

For what it's worth, it's believed that Jones could be viewed as "a luxury" for the 49ers by the time the November trade deadline arrives. Perhaps San Francisco will be more willing to trade him to a quarterback-needy team this fall.