Niners Nation
The 49ers head coach may finally reach an esteemed goal this upcoming season.
When it comes to success over the last six seasons, the San Francisco 49ers have fared pretty well, making the Super Bowl twice, the NFC Championship Game four times, and winning the NFC West three times.
That came after a couple of dark years for the 49ers, leading to the hiring of head coach Kyle Shanahan, who quickly navigated through a two-year rebuild to take San Francisco to their first playoff, and consequently Super Bowl, appearance in six years back in 2019.
Since then, Shanahan has cemented himself as one of the NFL’s best head coaches, thanks to his innovative offensive mind and playcalling ability. However, throughout his successful run with the 49ers, the head coach has failed to win one esteemed award: Coach of the Year.
Shanahan has certainly been worthy of the achievement on a couple of occasions, namely the 2019 season, when he led a 4-12 team to the Super Bowl, the 2022 season, when he led a 13-4 team to an NFC Championship Game, and the 2023 season, when the 49ers were one of the best teams in the NFL until the Super Bowl.
However, he was bested for the award in each of those three seasons.
He came second to Baltimore’s John Harbaugh in 2019, as the latter led the Ravens to a 14-2 season in Lamar Jackson’s first year as the full-time starter. He came second again in 2022 to Brian Daboll, who led the New York Giants to their first playoff berth in six years. And then he came fifth in 2023 when Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski won the award.
Looking ahead to 2025, the cards seem to be aligning for Shanahan, as he and the 49ers hope to return to playoff contention after a disappointing 6-11 season.
Injuries decimated the 49ers, who also struggled with issues like run defense, run game inefficiencies, and regression at a number of positions. But, San Francisco has opportunities to grow this offseason, starting with the No. 11 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pair that with a fourth-place schedule and the 49ers are in a favorable spot to expedite their turnaround next season. If they do ultimately succeed and meet or exceed expectations, Shanahan will likely be in the running for Coach of the Year once again, and could finally get the mantle given the significant improvement from 2024 to 2025.
Of course, the ultimate goal is a Super Bowl. But, Shanahan has been one of the best coaches in the NFL over the past seven seasons. And he may finally get a chance to receive the hardware that presents him in that category in 2025.
