The San Francisco 49ers have already lost one of their coordinators to a head coaching position when Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh left for the Tennessee Titans. Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak was also in the running for head coaching jobs, but according to Senior NFL Insider Dianna Russini of "The Athletic," Kubiak has removed himself as a candidate for any head coaching positions, posting on X, "49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has removed himself from consideration for head coaching vacancies, per sources. The Raiders and Steelers had requested to interview him. He prefers to keep working with Kyle Shanahan."
49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has removed himself from consideration for head coaching vacancies, per sources. The Raiders and Steelers had requested to interview him. He prefers to keep working with Kyle Shanahan.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 24, 2026
Kubiak, the son of former NFL QB and longtime coach Gary Kubiak, has been with the 49ers since 2021, when he served as Defensive Quality Control. The following season, he became the Assistant QB Coach, and then in 2024, became the Passing Game Specialist. This past season, Head Coach Kyle Shanahan promoted him to Offensive Coordinator.
The Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers had requested to interview Kubiak for their head coaching vacancies. Last week, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero spoke on head coaching searches, saying, "There are some wild cards, like Klay Kubiak, the 49ers' offensive coordinator. Kyle Shanahan absolutely loves him. He is the other Kubiak in this cycle because Klint Kubiak did a whole bunch of interviews during Seattle's bye week, but don't overlook the possibility of Klay Kubiak potentially emerging if these Steelers, for the first time in all those years, are willing to go with a coach with an offensive background rather than defense."
On Saturday, Adam Schefter reported that the Steelers plan to hire former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy as their head coach. Regardless, Kubiak has decided now is not the right time to consider being a head coach, and therefore, will stay in San Francisco, unless Shanahan lets him depart for an Offensive Coordinator job that includes play-calling duties.
But that seems unlikely. During his season-wrap press conference, Shanahan suggested Kubiak already gets to call plays in San Francisco and will not be going anywhere. When asked if he would allow Kubiak to leave for a non-head coaching position, Shanahan told reporters, "No, he calls a lot of plays here. He's our offensive coordinator, so I don't know, why would you let him be somebody else's offensive coordinator."
NFL teams cannot block a move that includes a promotion, but one that is considered a lateral move can be blocked. So, any job that requires permission for Kubiak to leave would likely be blocked by Shanahan.
And what if Kubiak's brother, Klint, who is the Offensive Coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, becomes a head coach? Don't count on Shanahan budging. After all, in 2019, he blocked passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur from joining his brother Matt's staff in Green Bay.