NFL fans have been left stunned by the brutal transformation of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan across his eight-year tenure in San Francisco.

The 45-year-old took on his first HC role looking extremely fresh-faced in 2017, but new images from the NFL Owners Meeting this week show a more weathered-looking figure. 

Twitter user and ’49ers analytics nerd’ Mike Urtaza first shared the contrast online and it quickly went viral alongside the caption: ‘What eight years and two Super Bowl losses do to a man.’

In the first image, from his opening press conference in San Francisco, Shanahan is clean-shaven with jet-black hair, while the 2025 sH๏τ sees him flecked with gray, in both a beard and his hair.

The specific image used for the comparison does Shanahan no favors either, with the 2025 version staring into space as though he’s endured many hardships along the way – which, in a football context, he has.

The Niners went 6-11 last season, in the immediate aftermath of a Super Bowl defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2024.

Kyle Shanahan looks to have aged a lot, comparing images from 2017 (left) and 2025 (right)

Shanahan has lost two Super Bowls in eight years as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers

Sean McVay has been in charge of the Rams for a similar length of time, but has hardly aged

Taking to X, thousands of NFL fans responded to the pH๏τos, with one writing: ‘The bags under his eyes! He needs to catch up on some serious shut eye.’

Another added: ‘Holy cow, he has aged,’ while another noted: ‘Looks like he’s a two-term president!’

Elsewhere, though, some defended him and claimed that the eight-year difference is simply a man aging.

‘Well do a before and after of you in 8 years and bet you age the same lol’, one retorted.

The difference in the Shanahan images was also made more noticeable by another comparison shared by Dov Kleiman – of Rams coach Sean McVay.

Despite his similar tenure with a west-coast team, McVay hardly appears to have aged at all between 2017 and 2025.