George Kittle Defends Kyle Shanahan Amid 49ers Hot Seat Rumors, 'You Guys are Not the Smartest'

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was asked by reporters if head coach Kyle Shanahan would be on the hot seat if he failed to win a Super Bowl title with the Niners in the 2025 season, something he's failed to do since taking over as head coach in 2017.

The veteran tight end could barely believe the question.

"Anybody that says Kyle Shanahan is on the hot seat, you guys are not the smartest," he told reporters. "It doesn't make any sense to me."

Shanahan, 46, has gone 82-67 in his nine seasons as the team's head coach, leading San Francisco to the playoffs five times and the Super Bowl twice. Last season, the 49ers went 12-5 and reached the postseason despite dealing with an absurd number of injuries, including Kittle's torn Achilles during the Wild Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

"The fact that we were able to go to the playoffs, win a road game and make it to the second round is pretty incredible to me," Kittle added.