The San Francisco 49ers are 5-7 after a loss to the Buffalo Bills, but the team is not contemplating parting ways with head coach Kyle Shanahan. In fact, the team calls this concept "comical."
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49ers General Manager John Lynch addressed Shanahan's future on Friday during a discussion on KNBR. He discussed the team's success since Shanahan took over the roster, as well as the struggles this season as injuries have wreaked havoc.
"I've found the whole discussion on Kyle rather comical," Lynch said. "We've won four of the last five division championships and been in two Super Bowls.
"The standard here is to win (Super Bowls) and we've fallen short I understand that. But we have an excellent head coach and the fact people are talking about that I do find it comical."
Shanahan took over as head coach in 2017. His first season saw three quarterbacks starting games. This included CJ Beathard, Brian Hoyer, and Jimmy Garoppolo, who joined via trade midway through the season. The 49ers started the season 0-9 but won six of the final seven games to reach 6-10.
Shanahan has remained as head coach of the 49ers since while posting four seasons with at least 10 wins. The 49ers have reached the NFC Championship four times and the Super Bowl two times. The 49ers lost to the Chiefs in both 2019 and 2023.
As the defending NFC champions, the 49ers created expectations for success this season. However, injuries have hit both sides of the ball while contributing to what is currently a losing season.
Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and linebacker Curtis Robinson landed on Injured Reserve in September. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk joined them in November. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw has been on the Physically Unable to Perform list all season with an expected debut this weekend.
The injuries continued with quarterback Brock Purdy missing one game and running back Christian McCaffrey missing eight games. Once McCaffrey returned to the lineup, he suited up for four games before suffering a season-ending PCL injury.
A return to the Super Bowl seems unlikely, but Shanahan the 49ers have time to end the season on a high note. This task will be difficult based on the injuries and a schedule featuring the Lions and Rams among other teams, but the team has the support of Lynch.
"I think we've been through a lot as a team, this current team with a lot of stuff that has happened to members of our organization," Lynch added. "Injuries, tragic circumstances, ultimately those are just excuses.
"One thing I can tell you is I'm proud of how this group has stuck together, had each other's back. The other thing I can tell you is the story's not written yet. We're still grinding, and we're still playing."
