The San Francisco 49ers are the talk of the NFL after pulling off a convincing 27-7 win over the Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night in Melbourne, Australia.
It turns out that the 49ers have been planning for success a lot earlier — and a lot further out — than anyone anticipated.
“Stability in San Francisco: The 49ers quietly signed Kyle Shanahan to a contract extension in the offseason,” The Ringer & Netflix’s Tom Pelissero wrote on his official X account on Friday. “Shanahan was previously believed to be signed through 2027. Now, one of the NFL’s top coaches is locked up for years to come.”
Shanahan, 46, is in his 10th season as the 49ers’ head coach, and has led the 49ers to 2 Super Bowl appearances — losses to the Kansas City Chiefs following the 2019 and 2023 seasons.
“BREAKING: The 49ers signed Kyle Shanahan to a contract extension in the offseason,” 49ers News 24/7 wrote on its official X account on Friday. “He’s now one of the NFL’s top-paid coaches and locked up for years to come.”
Shanahan NFL’s No. 8 Highest-Paid Coach in 2025
While details of Shanahan’s contract extension weren’t readily available, according to Sportico, his current contract pays him $14 million per year — making him the No. 8 highest-paid coach in the NFL.
In 2025, the 7 coaches ahead of Shanahan on Sportico’s list had all won Super Bowls.
The highest-paid coach in the NFL is Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who has won 3 Super Bowls in the last decade.
Training Camp Started With Shanahan Controversy
At the start of training camp, the 49ers disclosed that Shanahan would be sidelined for until the regular season after a crash on July 14 in northern California in which he broke his hand, nose, and 3 ribs, and needed over 40 stitches in his face, and suffered a severe concussion in a July 14 car accident in northern California.
According to Shanahan’s friend, former NFL quarterback and Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms, Shanahan narrowly avoided an even worse tragedy.
PFT’s Mike Florio raised questions about why Shanahan’s crash wasn’t reported on for 2 weeks — accusing reporters of covering up the crash because they like Shanahan.
“The Kyle Shanahan car accident happened on July 14. It was a matter of public record,” the Pro Football Talk account wrote on X. “The 49ers wanted to keep it quiet until training camp opened on July 25. And, instead of reporting publicly available facts, the reporters who knew about it complied.”
49ers Made Secret Contract Move With Head Coach Kyle Shanahan: Report