As the years go by without a Super Bowl, some continue to think San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan will eventually be on the hot seat if he doesn’t deliver a ring. Former NFL defensive back Richard Sherman isn’t buying it.
The ex-49ers and Seahawks cornerback said during a recent episode of The Richard Sherman Podcast that even if San Francisco misses the playoffs in 2026, “he’d be on an iceberg. He’d still be on an absolute iceberg.”
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Not only that, Sherman added that there would be “20 seats in the NFL getting hotter” if Shanahan were let go.
“Because if he ever got fired, so would they,” Sherman said about other teams’ head coaches. “Because there are at least 20 teams in the National Football League that would fire their coach that day to have a chance to interview Kyle Shanahan to be their head coach.”
Why? For one, Sherman noted that Shanahan coached the 49ers to within a game of the NFC West title and all the way to the NFC Divisional round despite a brutal wave of injuries to core superstars like Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, George Kittle, and quarterback Brock Purdy. He’s also amassed an impressive 9-5 playoff record and won at least 10 games in five of his past seven seasons with the team.
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Ultimately, Sherman believes that built-up equity makes Shanahan entirely bulletproof in the eyes of ownership.
49ers owner Jed York effectively agreed with that assertion back in March at the NFL owners’ meeting. He told reporters that he wants Shanahan and general manager John Lynch “to be here for a long time”
“He’s been here for a long time,” York added, “and I want him to be here even longer.”
So despite potential urgency from fans, those closer to the team don’t see Shanahan of being in danger of losing his job anytime soon.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Ex-NFL DB says ‘at least 20 teams’ would line up to hire Kyle Shanahan
