Klay Kubiak’s name is starting to show up where it matters most: on the NFL head coach hot board.
After climbing quickly under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator is being viewed as a potential future leader, and the conversation is already drifting beyond the Bay Area. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox raised the possibility of Kubiak landing a head coaching job after the 2026 season, and the case is easy to see from where the league sits right now.
Kubiak is entering his second season as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator after working as the team’s passing-game coordinator in 2024. He already drew head coaching interest earlier this offseason, and after helping San Francisco produce a top-10 offense even while playing half the year with backup quarterback Mac Jones, he interviewed for multiple openings. In the end, he pulled his name out to remain with the 49ers, and Kyle Shanahan also blocked him from making a lateral move.
That kind of attention is likely only going to grow. Kubiak has been in San Francisco since 2021, but his rise under Shanahan has put him on the radar for more interviews in 2027, especially if the 49ers again finish with one of the league’s best offenses.
There’s also another layer to the story: his brother, Klint Kubiak, was just hired as the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. If the Raiders make a jump in 2026, decision-makers around the league will be asking whether the younger Kubiak can deliver similar results.
The family connection will bring the usual talk of nepotism, but the results are hard to dismiss. The Shanahans and the Kubiaks have taken Mike Shanahan’s outside zone-based system and turned it into a modern NFL force.
For the 49ers, the bigger picture doesn’t have to be scary. Kubiak is proving he can coordinate an offense at a high level, but as long as Kyle Shanahan is running things, San Francisco should still expect a productive unit. The 49ers are coming off a 12-5 season and will try to get back to the playoffs in 2026.
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For a team trying to make Brock Purdys life easier and keep the offense balanced around its established playmakers, that kind of stability matters as much as flashier additions on either side of the ball. Jones, in particular, has drawn attention as a low-profile pickup with the kind of experience and efficiency that can quietly settle a spot the 49ers have not fully locked down yet, even if the final call is still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]