The 49ers gave head coach Kyle Shanahan a contract extension during the offseason, Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reports. Shanahan was already believed to be under contract through 2027, but the length of his new contract is unknown. Now in his 10th year with the 49ers, Shanahan and his team are off to a tremendous start with a season-opening victory over the NFC West rival Rams on Thursday. Although the Rams began the season as Super Bowl favorites, they were no match for the 49ers in a 27-7 drubbing in Australia. Shanahan, an offensive guru, oversaw an attack that racked up 379 total yards in a dominant effort. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, who joined the 49ers in 2017, had a tough couple of years to start their tenures. The 49ers stumbled to a 10-22 record in that span, but have since compiled five seasons of at least a dozen wins and won three division titles. The Shanahan-led 49ers won the NFC with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback in 2019, but couldn’t overcome the Chiefs in a 31-20 loss in Super Bowl LIV. The 49ers returned to the game’s biggest stage, Super Bowl LVIII, with Brock Purdy under center in 2023. However, the Chiefs had their number again in a 25-22 overtime thriller. While Shanahan continued to elude a championship in 2025, it was one of his best coaching performances to date. The 49ers battled a series of serious injuries to key players, including Purdy, Fred Warner, George Kittle and Nick Bosa, but still finished 12-5 and won a wild card game on the road in Philadelphia. The 49ers’ season came to a halt a week later in a 41-6 rout of the division rival and eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks in the second round. Now healthier, the 49ers are expected to go toe-to-toe with the Rams and Seahawks for the NFC West title this year. At 1-0 each, the 49ers and Seahawks have the early lead over the Rams. San Francisco’s win on Thursday was the 83rd for Shanahan, 46, who is 16 games over .500 in the regular season and 9-5 in the playoffs. Shanahan is 16 regular-season wins away from surpassing George Seifert (98), the most in 49ers history. He also needs just two more postseason wins for Seifert and the legendary Bill Walsh (10) to move into first place among 49ers coaches. If things go according to plan for the 49ers, Shanahan will surpass Seifert and Walsh en route to hoisting his first Lombardi Trophy in February.
