Over the four years since quarterback Brock Purdy entered the NFL, he and head coach Kyle Shanahan have accomplished some impressive feats with the San Francisco 49ers, including making the playoffs three times, the NFC Championship twice and the Super Bowl once.
While the duo has already done a lot together, they've yet to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. However, they're still considered one of the best pairings in the NFL.
CBS Sports' Garrett Podell recently ranked the top 10 quarterback-coach duos for 2026, and Purdy and Shanahan came in at No. 6.
"Despite the San Francisco 49ers' top-six highest-paid players missing a league-leading 64 games (including the postseason), they made the playoffs and won a road playoff game at the Philadelphia Eagles."
Podell wrote. "That's an impressive feat for the 49ers' duo of quarterback Brock Purdy and head coach Kyle Shanahan. Purdy's situational efficiency in Shanahan's scheme reached new heights in 2025 with him completing 58.3% of his third- and fourth-down pass attempts, the highest rate by any quarterback in the last 35 seasons, per CBS Sports Research.
"Like the rest of the San Francisco roster, Purdy needs to work on improving his durability. He missed a combined 11 games across the last three seasons, including eight in 2025 with a turf toe injury. Shanahan is a master at maximizing whoever is on the football field, but it would be nice to see him work with a full deck for once. That may be difficult with much of his core on the wrong side of 30."
Shanahan and Purdy beat out Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen, Los Angeles' Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh, Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni and Chicago's Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson.
Los Angeles' Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay, Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, Seattle's Sam Darnold and Mike Macdonald, New England's Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel and Green Bay's Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur all ranked above them.
If Shanahan and Purdy finally win a Super Bowl in 2026, they'd probably move up to at least No. 4 for 2027, and they could be higher if Stafford decides to call it a career.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers QB, HC rank among the NFL's top duos in 2026
