Super Bowl champ addresses if 49ers should move on from Kyle Shanahan

Even before San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan became the subject of some interesting trade rumors during this past regular season, some suggested his history of postseason heartbreaks showed he would never lead the franchise to the type of success the Kansas City Chiefs have enjoyed under Andy Reid.

For a piece published on Tuesday, an unnamed former Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots assistant spoke with The Athletic’s Jeff Howe about Shanahan’s reputation and whether the 49ers should consider changing directions sooner rather than later. 

“Within the coaches in the league, no one thinks any less of Kyle Shanahan. It’s ludicrous to think they should get rid of him,” the assistant explained. “Reid had these same criticisms early in his career, and now he’s clearly in the conversation for best coach ever. Kyle Shanahan’s criticisms are that he’s lost a couple of Super Bowls? OK, do you know how hard it is to get to the Super Bowl?”

Reid famously guided the Philadelphia Eagles to just one Super Bowl appearance, a game they lost, from 1999 until he was fired following the 2012 campaign. The subsequent offseason, he quickly found a job with the Chiefs and has since helped turn the franchise into a dynasty with three Super Bowl titles. 

Kansas City could soon become the first team in NFL history to three-peat as Super Bowl champions.

Meanwhile, the 49ers have lost two Super Bowl games and a pair of conference title clashes under Shanahan since February 2020. More recently, San Francisco could not overcome a noteworthy injury crisis during this past regular season, and the club finished with a record of 6-11.

The 49ers’ window to win a championship may have closed even before the franchise locks quarterback Brock Purdy down via what will likely be an expensive contract extension. Nevertheless, the former Patriots assistant thinks 49ers fans should be grateful for who they have running their beloved club. 

“If you throw rocks at Kyle Shanahan and want him fired, he’s going to have a job in 30 seconds. Reid, it was that he couldn’t win the big one, and now he’s on the verge of winning three in a row. Kyle is going to be coaching for a long time,” the assistant continued. “He’s going to have another chapter in his career where he’s going for three (Super Bowls) in a row.”

49ers general manager John Lynch essentially scoffed at the idea of possibly trading Shanahan back in December, and Shanahan seems happy to stay put for what could become at least somewhat of a roster restructuring over the next several months. With that said, it’s possible Shanahan could explore his options if the 49ers endure a second-straight losing season under his watch.