SANTA CLARA — 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan did not carry any concerns about his contract extension into the 2023 regular season.
Although the 49ers announced the deal on Friday, the completion of the contract took place before San Francisco took the field for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Shanahan said on Wednesday.
“So I'd already celebrated with my family and stuff like that, which is huge,” Shanahan said. “I feel very grateful. Just being a coach anywhere for a long time, I know what that means and (I'm) extremely grateful to have that opportunity and mainly for my family to be somewhere for so long, which is cool.”
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Shanahan, 43, had been nowhere longer than four years in his coaching career before 49ers CEO Jed York hired him as head coach in February 2017.
Now, Shanahan is three games into his seventh season with the 49ers and is signed through at least the 2027 season.
“I really like where we live and really like the people we work with,” Shanahan said. “And they're committed to giving us a chance to go for it every single year and that's all I could ever ask for.”
Shanahan has a 61-49 record, including 6-3 in the postseason. The 49ers opened the 2017 season with nine consecutive losses to kick off Shanahan’s head-coaching career.
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At that point, it might have looked like a long shot Shanahan would receive at least two contract extensions with the organization. General manager John Lynch and Shanahan were hired at the same time, and both have received two contract extensions. With Lynch's extension, he is signed through at least the 2026 season.
“Sometimes when you come into a situation that looks really hard to win in the first couple years, you're nervous about it because you know how the pressure goes when you lose, no matter what people say,” Shanahan said. “It gets tough to stick with the plan, and that's what made it so exciting the first time.
“Meeting with Jed and the commitment he gave us and what he said. I really feel like that made us make the right decisions for those first couple years and helped build it the right way.”
Shanahan has a chance to become the longest-tenured 49ers coach in franchise history. Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh directed the team for 10 seasons before stepping aside after the 1988 Super Bowl-winning season. Walsh won three Super Bowls during his tenure with the club.
There are no guarantees on how long Shanahan will remain, but his current contract would take him past Walsh’s franchise record for coaching longevity.
“Hypothetically it'd be very cool,” Shanahan’s said. “Contracts do not mean anything. They mean a lot, but that doesn't mean anything in that aspect. But to be even asked the question with someone like that (Walsh) is really cool.”
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