Kyle Shanahan’s future in San Francisco is now set for the long haul.
The 49ers head coach signed an extension this offseason, a previously unreported move that was revealed Friday by Tom Pelissero of The Ringer and Netflix after San Francisco’s win over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne.
Pelissero said Shanahan had been thought to be under contract through 2027, but he did not disclose the length of the new deal. What is clear is that the extension pushes him well beyond a decade as the 49ers’ head coach.
What remains unanswered is whether the same kind of move has already happened for general manager John Lynch. There have not been simultaneous reports of an extension for Lynch, who is currently signed through the end of this season after last agreeing to a new deal in 2023.
Shanahan and Lynch arrived together in 2017, when Lynch was hired as GM after Shanahan had already committed to becoming the team’s head coach. Lynch has also had outside opportunities to return to broadcasting, including reportedly turning down an offer from Amazon in 2022.
Because Shanahan’s extension surfaced without any prior reporting, there is still a chance the 49ers have made a similar move with Lynch that simply has not been made public yet. Even so, the fact that Shanahan’s new contract has been revealed on its own leaves open the possibility that the partnership could eventually be headed in a different direction.
On the field, Shanahan’s 49ers kept rolling with a 27-7 win over the Rams. The victory moved him to 83-67 in the regular season and 9-5 in the postseason. Last season’s divisional round loss to the Seattle Seahawks was his first playoff defeat before the Conference Championship stage.
The win also put Shanahan level with former 49ers coach Buck Shaw at 92 combined victories. His next win will move him past Shaw and into 53rd on the all-time combined wins list.
In Other News...
Brock Purdy Hit Could Bring NFL Fallout After 49ers Opener
Brock Purdys season-opening performance in Melbourne was memorable for more than just the box score, because one of the biggest moments came when the 49ers quarterback took a hit from Rams defensive tackle Tyler Davis that drew a roughing-the-passer flag. Purdy finished the game 25 of 34 for 205 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, but the contact he absorbed is the kind of play that tends to linger after the final whistle once the league reviews it.
The NFLs guidelines leave room for fines on penalties like that, and there is already speculation that the collision may have crossed into helmet-to-helmet territory, which could bring added discipline. For San Francisco, the immediate concern is the health of its quarterback and the protection he gets going forward, while the larger issue is whether the league decides the hit in Melbourne was simply a penalty on the field or something more costly when the office in New York takes a closer look. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Hit On Brock Purdy Could Bring NFL Punishment
Brock Purdy still delivered a productive outing in Melbourne, but one of the biggest moments in the 49ers game came on a hit from Rams defensive tackle Tyler Davis that drew a roughing-the-passer flag and raised the possibility of a helmet-to-helmet call. The play stood out not just because of the contact itself, but because it landed on a San Francisco quarterback who kept the offense moving anyway, finishing 25 of 34 for 205 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
For the NFL, the question now is whether the play turns into more than a penalty on the field. League discipline can follow this kind of hit if officials and review determine it crossed the line, though it remains to be seen whether fines will actually come down. For the 49ers, the larger concern is the same one every team has in moments like this: protecting Purdy while keeping him upright enough to do what he did in Melbourne. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Bosa's 49ers Return Took A Strange Turn After The Rams Win
Nick Bosas return in the 49ers season opener against the Rams was one of the biggest on-field positives of the night. Coming back from a torn ACL, he made his presence felt with four tackles, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit, a reminder of how much San Francisco missed him when he was out. For a player whose impact is usually measured in pressure and disruption, simply getting through that first game healthy mattered as much as the stat line.
The strange part came afterward, when a social media post began circulating with a quote falsely attributed to Bosa about honoring Charlie Kirk, a statement he never made. It was the latest example of how quickly fake quotes can spread around NFL players, following similar fabrications that have previously targeted George Kittle and C.J. Stroud. For the 49ers, it turned a straightforward comeback story into an unnecessary off-field distraction. [Read more 🡒]