Kyle Shanahan will be starting his 9th season as the 49ers’ head coach this year. And his journey so far hasn’t been an easy ride. After inheriting a team from Kelly, which went 2-14 in 2016, Shanahan had a mountain to climb. But he got to the job, and after two rough seasons, he took the team to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season, a highly unexpected feat. Since then, the 49ers have been regular contenders in the playoffs, with an 8-4 record for Shanahan’s team, barring twice. But despite reaching the postseason 4 times, he still hasn’t won the Super Bowl.

Add that to the disappointment of having a 6-11 season and finishing last in the division, and you’d get impatient fans, too tired of having their hopes and dreams broken every other season. The Faithful might as well be ready for change. And while we can push the blame away from the coaches and put it on the injuries, or the blunders by the special teams, and the lack of chemistry, Shanahan will have to pay the price for the mistakes of his team as well as his own. And it is those mistakes that have come back and put him on the hot seat.

It was NBC’s Mike Florio on his show Pro Football Talk, who, while predicting the season for the 49ers, also talked about what would happen if it all went downhill. “I actually think the 49ers are going to be good this year,” Mike predicted. And for the sake of Shanahan’s job, it better be. After all, Jed York did make some serious investments after listening to Kyle. Jed’s multi-million-dollar expenditure was a result of handing extensions to Brock Purdy, Fred Warner, and George Kittle this year. A decision that cost the 49ers around $404 million. And even Mike doesn’t know what York might do if this backfires. “But if they have a disaster, I don’t know what Jed York’s going to do,” he added.

Mike in his video has given Shanahan the benefit of the doubt. After all, he did manage to take the 49ers to a much better position and build them into a better team in just a few years. “The 49ers are one of those teams that would be dysfunctional. But for the fact that John Lynch (GM) and Kyle Shanahan have done a great job of overcoming the dysfunction,” Mike said. “So when you have an owner who may decide, ‘I just need a fresh start,’ if they fail to make it to the playoffs this year. If they are on the wrong side of.500, I just don’t think that’s going to happen. But if it does happen, it’s something to keep an eye on,” he added.

Even though Mike floated the idea that Shanahan could face the sack if the 49ers somehow miss the playoffs this season. But even he admits that’s pretty unlikely. His reasoning? The Niners still look like a solid team, flaws and all. And that’s largely thanks to Shanahan and the work he’s put in over the years. So yeah, while it’s technically possible, it’d take a real collapse for things to go south like that. But for now, it seems that York, as well as a 49ers’ key player, George Kittle, has got his back.

George Kittle backs Kyle Shanahan amidst criticism

For a minute, let’s forget all about the records, games, and expectations. One thing that Kyle Shanahan has managed to do successfully is to build a united and more connected dressing room. Otherwise, what could be the reason for players gladly reciting wholesome dressing room stories and even defending Kyle when things get tough? One player who seems to have some extra love for Shanahan is George Kittle. “He’s a genius, but he listens too. You don’t feel like you’re working for him—you’re working with him,” Kittle said.

Yet on another occasion, when Kittle was on the Pat McAfee Show, he talked highly of Kyle’s coaching technique. “One of my favorite things about Coach Shanahan is that he has like a 24 7 open-door policy,” Kittle said. “Like if somebody has a question for him, someone wants to know where they stand with the team, someone has an idea, his office is always open. Any player can go in at any time. And so I really, really respect that about him,” he added.

And that’s exactly why it works. The trust runs both ways—Kittle plays all-out because he knows Shanahan won’t set him up to fail. Whether it’s swinging a golf club in Cabo or running seam routes in December, their bond goes beyond strategy. It’s chemistry. It’s belief. And as long as that connection holds, the 49ers’ offense will keep humming—with Kittle right at the heart of it.