49ers GM John Lynch breaks silence on rumors of head coach Kyle Shanahan's future

After being a championship-contending team, the San Francisco 49ers, led by coach Kyle Shanahan, have found themselves in an unfamiliar position this season. Despite being preseason Super Bowl favorites according to multiple betting outlets, the 49ers are 5-7 heading into Week 14. With each passing week, their playoff chances continue to diminish.

The team has been plagued by injuries throughout the 2024 campaign, but several players have also underperformed. With the 49ers struggling and in last place in the NFC West division, the rumor mill has begun churning about Shanahan being on the hot seat.

However, on Friday morning, general manager John Lynch shut those rumors down:

“I found the whole discussion on Kyle rather comical. We have won 4 of the last 5 division championships, and we’ve been to 2 Super Bowls. The standard here is to win Championships, and we’ve fallen short of that and I understand, but we have an excellent head coach and the fact people are talking about stuff like that, I do find it comical.” [h/t NFL.com]

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Is this Kyle Shanahan's worst season with San Francisco 49ers?

Kyle Shanahan during San Francisco 49ers v Los Angeles Rams - Source: Getty

Kyle Shanahan became the coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, and in his seven full seasons (excluding 2024), he's led the team to the playoffs four times, won the NFC West three times and has made it to the Super Bowl twice.

Shanahan struggled in his first two campaigns, missing the playoffs both times. While this year's 5-7 record is not great, it is still better than the 2018 team in his second season, which finished with a 4-12 record and in third place in the NFC West. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL early in the season, with the team turning to backup QB C.J. Beathard.

In his third year, Shanahan started the season strong with an 8-0 record after beginning his first campaign 0-9.