The San Francisco 49ers have spent most of the 2025 season walking a tightrope between adversity and ambition, yet somehow they remain firmly in the NFC playoff picture. That alone is remarkable given the barrage of setbacks the team has endured. But what has stunned former players, analysts, and even rival coaches is not simply that the 49ers have stayed afloat — it’s how they’ve continued to win, adapt, and evolve under head coach Kyle Shanahan. And this week, one of the franchise’s most beloved legends said out loud what many around the league have quietly believed for months.

Speaking on the Jim Rowe Show, Hall of Fame–bound running back Frank Gore deliver  ed a thunderous endorsement of his former head coach, calling for Shanahan to be named the NFL’s Coach of the Year. Gore’s message wasn’t subtle, nor was it sentimental. It was a blunt, unfiltered assessment of a coach who has guided his roster through injuries, lineup upheavals, and relentless uncertainty without allowing the season to collapse. “I think my head coach should be Coach of the Year,” Gore said. “With all the stuff we’ve been through, so many of our main guys in and out of the lineup. Losing two of our best players on defense and we still fighting for a playoff spot. Kyle did a great job with our team.”

Shanahan’s season reads like a case study in crisis management. When Brock Purdy went down early, the 49ers turned to backup quarterback Mac Jones — a player many critics believed had little left to offer as a starter. But under Shanahan, Jones resurrected his efficiency, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes while throwing for more than 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in eight games. It wasn’t flashy, but it was composed, and it kept the 49ers competitive at a time when their season could have easily unraveled. The offense shifted shapes weekly, molded around whatever personnel remained standing.

The injuries did not stop there. Losing star receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the entire year — a player who was supposed to be the heartbeat of the passing game — stripped the offense of its top separator and vertical threat. Defensive cornerstones fell soon after, with two of the team’s most dominant defenders sidelined for extended stretches. Yet through it all, the 49ers remained organized, methodical, and deeply competitive. The system didn’t collapse; it adapted. Shanahan’s fingerprints were everywhere — in the route concepts tailored to inexperienced receivers, in the protection adjustments that suited Jones’ timing, and in the run-game creativity that compensated for lost explosiveness on the perimeter.

Gore, who played under some of the most respected coaches in franchise history, understands how rare that is. What impressed him wasn’t just the tactical brilliance that Shanahan is known for, but the emotional steadiness he brought to a locker room rocked by injuries. “Our team fights and does whatever it takes to win,” Gore said. “I take my hat off to Kyle and John Lynch. We’re doing our thing. We’re fighting. We’re a tough team in the NFC.” Those words resonated because they came from someone who built his legacy on resilience — a player whose respect must be earned, never given.

The absence of Aiyuk remains a defining challenge, one that Shanahan has managed with quiet precision. Before his injury in 2024, Aiyuk produced at a Pro Bowl level — over 1,300 yards and a reputation as one of the league’s premier route-runners. Without him, the offensive margin for error shrank considerably. But Shanahan leaned on rotating personnel, unconventional spacing, and a refocused ground attack to stabilize the operation. Few coaches could lose their quarterback, their top wide receiver, and multiple all-defensive talents and still craft a winning formula.

San Francisco’s identity today reflects the hallmarks of a Shanahan operation: disciplined structure, adaptable game plans, and players who compete with conviction even when the odds tilt against them. Their record isn’t gaudy, nor does it scream dominance. But context matters. In a year when most teams would have spiraled under similar conditions, the 49ers have kept themselves in position for a postseason push — perhaps even a late run reminiscent of prior years when they defied expectations.

What Gore acknowledged — and what the league is slowly beginning to admit — is that coaching excellence isn’t always defined by championships or perfect seasons. Sometimes it is defined by survival, by resilience, by the ability to steady a team when everything around it is shaking. Shanahan has done exactly that, and the 49ers’ continued relevance stands as the most compelling proof.

As the season enters its final month, the spotlight returns to Shanahan once more. If the 49ers manage to secure a playoff berth — or even mount a late surge — the argument for Coach of the Year may shift from bold to obvious. For now, the message delivered by Frank Gore still echoes across the 49ers community and beyond: in a season full of chaos, Kyle Shanahan has delivered one of the finest coaching performances of his career. And maybe, as Gore suggested, one worthy of the league’s highest recognition.