Former 49ers star Richard Sherman unleashes on potential hot seat for for Kyle Shanahan

Former 49ers star Richard Sherman unleashes on potential hot seat for for Kyle Shanahan originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Kyle Shanahan has yet to win a Super Bowl during his career, yet the San Francisco 49ers front man is considered one of the smartest, innovative young coaches in the NFL by just about everyone that follows the league.

While having the same last name of one of the truly great NFL coaches in recent history, Kyle has carved his own way in the league and proven over and over again he can create offensive schemes that often confuse defenses, even if he doesn’t have a ton of talent to work with.

Shanahan began to make his name known with the Redskins as the OC from 2010 to 2013. While Washington had it’s fair share of drama during that time with Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins and Dan Snyder constantly meddling with football decisions, Shanahan was largely responsible for designing an offense around Griffin’s strength, with a heavy dose of read-option plays. The Redskins finished with a (10-6) record until Griffin suffered a brutal knee injury in the first round of the playoffs against the Seahawks which killed Washington’s momentum.

Under Shanahan, Griffin still set records for highest passer rating by a rookie quarterback (102.4) and highest touchdown to interception ratio (4:1). He played a vital role in helping the Redskins finish the regular season on a 7-game winning streak after starting the season 3–6, leading the team to its first playoff appearance since 2007. Griffin was ultimately named 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but after a rough 2013 season, Shanahan and the entire coaching staff was fired.

Shanahan spent one year in Cleveland where he was somehow supposed to turn Johnny Manziel — who seemed to be focused on everything except football —into a superstar.  Shanahan eventually compiled a 32-page document for the Browns brass asking him to be released from the final two years of his contract. They granted his request.

Shanahan landed in Atlanta where he %3Cmeta%20charset%3D%22UTF-8%22%20%2F%3Ethe turned the Falcons into the highest-scoring offense in the league in 2016 and finished atop the NFC South with an 11–5 record.

After making a run to the Super Bowl against the Patriots, Shanahan was named NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.

Due to the infamous 28-3 halftime lead that wasn’t enough to keep Tom Brady and the Patriots from putting together the biggest NFL comeback in Super Bowl history to beat the Falcons, Shanahan will always face criticism on how he handled the clock in the second half of that game.

Could Kyle Shanahan be on the hot seat for the San Francisco 49ers in 2026?

Despite clear learning moments on his rise in the coaching ranks in the NFL, Shanahan has been nothing short of brilliant since taking the 49ers head coaching job. He’s reached the NFC Championship twice, the Super Bowl twice, and the Divisional Round once in five of the last seven seasons.

Sure, he hasn’t been able to get the 49ers over the hump quite yet, but Shanahan has overcome massive injuries and adversity and still continues to make San Francisco a legitimate contender in the NFC every season.

On an episode of the Richard Sherman Show, the former 49ers star CB who put together an All-Pro season in San Francisco in 2019 was asked if Shanahan should be on the hot seat if the 49ers miss the playoffs in 2026.

Sherman didn’t hold back his feelings toward the question:

“I don’t know who asked this question, but we gotta check what’s in their cup. Absolutely not. He wouldn’t be close. He would be on an iceberg and if he was somehow on the hot seat then there would be 20 seats in the NFL getting hotter as his got hotter because if he ever got fired, so would they. Because there are at least 20 teams in the NFL that would fire their coach that day to have a chance to interview Kyle Shanahan to be their head coach.”

Barring a complete meltdown in San Francisco, it’s safe to say Shanahan has plenty of job security no matter what happens in 2026.

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