Kyle Shanahan and Fred Warner Credit: NBC Sports
By Sam Neumann on

Fred Warner and Kyle Shanahan showed up to Levi’s Stadium on Sunday for work. The difference was that they were analyzing the Super Bowl instead of playing in it.

The two 49ers figures joined NBC’s pregame coverage as guest analysts and earned rave reviews for their seamless transition to the sports media world.Β  For a couple of hours, they were just two guys who represent San Francisco, working at their home stadium, breaking down a Super Bowl between their biggest rival and the New England Patriots.

Warner and Shanahan had watched the Seahawks eliminate them from the playoffs five weeks earlier with a 41-6 beatdown. Now they were supposed to provide expert analysis on how to beat Seattle.

“I know you guys want my expert opinion, but I haven’t scored a touchdown on [the Seahawks] the last two times we’ve played them, so I don’t know how good that is,” Shanahan quipped.

Shanahan wasn’t going to pretend he had all the answers when Seattle had dominated San Francisco in their last two meetings. The 49ers failed to score any touchdowns in a 13-3 loss that cost them the NFC West in the regular season finale, then got trounced in the Divisional Round to end their season. Between those two games, Shanahan’s offense managed zero touchdowns against the defense he was supposed to be breaking down for NBC.

Shanahan also talked about following his father, Mike, on his path to championships.

Warner, in particular, demonstrated why he’ll have an eight-figure contract waiting for him when he decides to retire from football. He’s still playing at an elite level as a three-time first-team All-Pro and the leader of San Francisco’s defense. But his presence at the desk looked like that of someone who’s been doing this for years rather than on his biggest broadcasting assignment yet.

The praise wasn’t surprising to anyone who watched Warner work. NBC added Warner to the pregame show earlier in the week alongside Shanahan, Cameron Heyward, and Aaron Donald. Warner has been building toward this moment all season. He appeared on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown during Wild Card weekend in January and earned high praise from ESPN vice president of production Seth Markman, who told Richard Deitsch that Warner was “as good as I’ve seen from a current player in a long time.”

Warner also appeared on NBC’s Football Night in America in December after an ankle injury sidelined him for the Bears–49ers game.

The question isn’t whether Warner has a future in broadcasting. It’s whether he can resist the opportunities long enough to finish his playing career. Warner is 28 years old and playing at a Hall of Fame level. But networks are going to throw money at him whenever he’s ready to retire, and the work is easier on his body than playing linebacker.

As for Shanahan, he proved he could excel at broadcasting if he ever wanted to, though there’s zero indication he’s interested in that career path. He’s a head coach with three Super Bowl losses who believes he’s going to win his next three like his father did. Sunday’s work seemed to be a one-time thing. Shanahan isn’t leaving coaching to become the next John Madden β€” even if he could β€” at least not yet. He has unfinished business in San Francisco.

Both of them showed they belong on national TV if they want to be there. Warner almost certainly will be once his playing career ends. Shanahan probably won’t unless he changes his mind about coaching, but the option is there if he wants it.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann