49ers GM: Discourse around firing Shanahan 'rather comical'
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch dismissed the idea of head coach Kyle Shanahan being fired this season.
"I've found the whole discussion on Kyle rather comical," Lynch said Friday, per NFL.com's Kevin Patra. "We have won four of the last five division championships. We've been to two Super Bowls. The standard here is to win championships, and we've fallen short of that, I understand.
"But we have an excellent head coach, and the fact that people are talking about stuff like that, I do find it comical. We're 100% behind Kyle and what he brings to our organization."
Shanahan has been the 49ers head coach since 2017, holding a 69-58 overall record.
The 49ers have a 5-7 mark and are last in the NFC West this season. They've struggled with injuries to key players, with Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa, Trent Williams, Jordan Mason, and Christian McCaffrey all sidelined at some point this year. Mason and McCaffrey are both currently on injured reserve and likely won't play for the rest of the season.
The defending NFC champions last missed the playoffs in 2020 and are scoring 22.5 points per game after averaging 28.9 last season. They outscored their opponents by an average of 11.4 points in 2023.
"You are what your record says you are in this league, and that isn't very good. 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 said. "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."
Shanahan and the 49ers will look for their first win since Nov. 10 when they play the Chicago Bears on Sunday.