Overview
- In mid-June, George Kittle told USA TODAY that anyone calling Shanahan 'on the hot seat' is wrong and that the coach’s leadership delivered a strong 2025 playoff run despite heavy injuries.
- Kittle credited backup quarterback Mac Jones for stabilizing the team late in 2025, noting Jones won games that helped keep the locker room intact and sparking discussion that Jones could be a tradeable asset later in the season.
- Kittle said he is ahead of schedule in rehab from the Achilles injury he suffered in the 2025 postseason and is aiming to be available for the 49ers’ Week 1 opener in Melbourne, Australia.
- Coverage frames Shanahan’s job security debate against a decade-long résumé that includes multiple deep playoff runs and two Super Bowl trips, while recent high-profile firings around the league help explain why 'hot-seat' talk emerges.
- The team finished offseason work in June and will reconvene for training camp in late July, making player health, Mac Jones’ status, and early-season performance key factors for how pressure on Shanahan evolves.