The San Francisco 49ers didn’t have their best season in 2024, finishing with a 6-11 record and in fourth place in the NFC West. However, that hasn’t stained head coach Kyle Shanahan too much in NFL analysts’ eyes.
On Monday, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin released his annual head coach rankings, and Shanahan came in at No. 7.
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“Depending on the year, Shanahan’s either a schematic genius on the precipice of glory or the dejected face of an injury-ravaged lineup,” Benjamin wrote. “No other coach, after all, has guided four NFC title-game appearances in five years, while also overseeing four losing seasons. It’s pretty simple here: If his toys are sturdy, he can draw up a shootout with the best of them. Robert Saleh’s return as a right-hand man on defense should also help, though Shanahan’s also got a conservative bent in the biggest moments.”
Los Angeles’ Jim Harbaugh (No. 6), Detroit’s Dan Campbell (No. 5), Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni (No. 4), Baltimore’s John Harbaugh (No. 3), Los Angeles’ Sean McVay (No. 2) and Kansas City’s Andy Reid (No. 1) all ranked ahead of Shanahan while Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur (No. 8), Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell (No. 9) and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin (No. 10) rounded out the top 10.
Shanahan did take a bit of a hit from 2024, as he was third in these same power rankings last year behind Reid and McVay. This year, He was jumped by both Harbaughs, Campbell and Sirianni. His four-spot drop was tied for the third-largest fall from 2024 to 2025 with New York’s Brian Daboll falling from No. 21 to No. 30 and Miami’s Mike McDaniel going from No. 11 to No. 20.
With the 49ers re-tooling a bit in 2025, Shanahan will have an opportunity to really prove that he deserves to be in the top five in next year’ edition of this list.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan grabs top-10 spot in 2025 head coach rankings