Seemingly every offseason, there are questions and whispers about San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan being on the hot seat. Some of those thoughts and rumors are driven by fans and by click-motivated media, but by and large, fans of the team believe their coach is one of the best in the NFL. And the fans aren't the only ones who believe this.
Last week, NBC published its 2026 NFL head coach rankings, and they had Shanahan listed at number three, behind Sean McVay and Andy Reid. Most who cover the NFL would likely place Shanahan in the elite category of NFL coaches. But not everyone agrees. Some believe Shanahan should be on the hot seat, even after such an impressive 2025 campaign.
Still, those who know the game know differently. And future Hall of Fame CB Richard Sherman is one of them.
On the latest episode of the "Richard Sherman Podcast," the former 49ers cornerback was asked if his former head coach's job would be in danger if the 49ers were to miss the playoffs in 2026. Sherman, who appeared to be baffled by the question, made it clear what he thinks of Shanahan, whom he also said is a Top-5 coach in the NFL.
"I don't know who asked this question, but we gotta check what's in their cup," Sherman said. "If Kyle Shanahan misses the playoffs this year, would he be on the hot seat? Absolutely not, absolutely not. He wouldn't even be close. He'd be on an iceberg; he'd still be on an absolute iceberg. And if he somehow was on the hot seat, then there'd be 20 seats in the NFL getting hotter as his gets hotter, because if he ever got fired, so would they.
"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. I might be high on the number, but I would say 15 to 20 teams that would love Kyle Shanahan as their head coach and leader of their franchise. And I don't think that Jed York would be willing to fire Kyle Shanahan to make him available to other teams."
It's no secret that Shanahan would be in great demand if the 49ers severed ties with him. And that's why it won't happen. At least not anytime soon. Shanahan is still one of the game's best.
"There's a reason people think about him and hold his name in such high regard," Sherman added. "I know he hasn't had success in winning the Super Bowl. His team is always in the running. You know they're always going to be a factor, even this year where you lose your top three, four best players throughout the season, you lose your quarterback for almost half the season, he still put out a competitive team."
Sherman went on to add that Shanahan's masterclass during the 2025 season, after losing players like Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner, will keep him safe even if the 49ers were to miss the playoffs in 2026. If Shanahan and the 49ers can ever figure out how to stay relatively healthy, there's no limit to what they can accomplish.
And in an ultra-competitive NFC West, they will need to figure that out just to keep up in 2026.
You can watch Sherman's entire podcast below:
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