San Francisco secures offensive architect Klay Kubiak, ensuring continuity and elite scheme execution amidst league-wide coaching flux. A quiet win for 49ers' offensive ambition.
At a time when coaching continuity is becoming increasingly rare across the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers received a significant piece of offseason clarity: offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak is staying put.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Kubiak has officially removed himself from consideration for any head coaching vacancies this cycle. The news comes after he emerged as a leading candidate for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opening and interviewed for the Las Vegas Raiders job. With Pittsburgh ultimately hiring Mike McCarthy, Kubiak’s decision ensures that San Francisco will head into the 2026 season with one of the league’s most effective offensive minds still in the building.
While the 2025 campaign was technically Kubiak’s first season with the offensive coordinator title, head coach Kyle Shanahan has been clear that Kubiak’s responsibilities had already mirrored that role for several years. The formal promotion simply aligned the title with the workload and the results backed it up.
Despite enduring significant injuries throughout the season, the 49ers fielded one of the NFL’s most efficient offenses. San Francisco finished second in DVOA, first in offensive success rate, and sixth in EPA per play, elite marks that underscore just how resilient and adaptable the unit was under Kubiak’s guidance. Those numbers become even more impressive considering the missed time from cornerstone players like George Kittle, Brock Purdy, and rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall.
Kubiak’s system emphasized balance, spacing, and situational efficiency while still evolving to fit the personnel available week to week. That adaptability played a major role in keeping the offense competitive even as injuries forced constant lineup shuffling.
The 49ers are expected to explore adding another high end pass catcher this offseason, whether through free agency or via trade. Potential tight end options like Kyle Pitts or Isaiah Likely could dramatically alter the structure of the passing game, while pairing a proven wide receiver with Pearsall would further diversify the offense.
More importantly, retaining Kubiak ensures those changes, whatever form they take, will be implemented within a familiar framework. For a roster already navigating health concerns and inevitable turnover, that continuity may be just as valuable as any splashy addition.
In an offseason always defined by uncertainty across the league, the 49ers keeping Klay Kubiak in San Francisco stands out as a quiet but meaningful win, one that positions the offense to remain among the NFL’s elite moving forward and into the 2026 fall season.