Alex Smith Says 49ers' Kyle Shanahan is Headed to NFL's 'Mount Rushmore'

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith believes Kyle Shanahan will eventually end up on the NFL's "Mount Rushmore" of head coaches.

It's quite a bold take considering Shanahan's résumé has yet to include a Super Bowl title. Many still remember the infamous 28-3 collapse against the New England Patriots when he was the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator, while others point to his two Super Bowl defeats as the 49ers' head coach.

San Francisco squandered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against the Kansas City Chiefs, while the second time around, the team supposedly lost because of not knowing the overtime rules.

At the same time, Shanahan has proven that in nine years representing the City by the Bay, he's made the team a consistent playoff contender. Two Super Bowl appearances, two NFC Championship Games, and the divisional round last season says it all.

"You have a chance every year with Kyle," explained Smith on The Krueg Show.

"I think he's one of the best head coaches in football. He reminds me a lot of when I went to Kansas City with Andy Reid.

"Andy at that point was widely regarded as an amazing head coach, but hadn't won the big one yet.

"Kyle's been on the doorstep how many times now knocking on the door and it's gonna happen and it's gonna be an avalanche. Then all of a sudden we are gonna be talking about him on the Mount Rushmore."

The floodgates could well open for him if he finally gets the job done. In many ways, his trajectory mirrors those of Andy Reid and his father, Mike Shanahan. Reid has often proven to be Shanahan's kryptonite, while Mike experienced similar criticism before cementing his legacy, something Kyle himself recently joked about.

"He got blown out in his first three then won his next three. I've got my three losses out of the way... I got three wins in front of me," said Kyle.

Shanahan isn't going anywhere because the 49ers have no intention of moving on from him. Not that he deserves the axe, but it does show he has time on his side in his quest to bring another Super Bowl title back to San Francisco.

The franchise hasn't won a championship since the 1994 season, meaning an entire generation of fans has missed out on witnessing the dynasty years. Shanahan isn't going away, so let's see if he can do it with this current core.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as Alex Smith Says 49ers' Kyle Shanahan is Headed to NFL's 'Mount Rushmore'.

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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM.