Pro Football Rumors
Like his brother Klint, 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has received interest from multiple teams regarding their head coaching vacancy.
However, if another team comes calling after Kubiak for their offensive coordinator job, San Francisco intends to block such a move, even if it comes with play-calling duties.
“He’s our offensive coordinator, so I don’t know, why would you let him be somebody else’s offensive coordinator,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Saturday (via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows). He added that Kubiak “calls a lot of plays here,” suggesting that an offensive coordinator gig elsewhere may not offer him much more than his current role in San Francisco.
That may not be entirely accurate. Kubiak is only the second coach to hold the 49ers’ OC title in Shanahan’s tenure, and the head coach is still considered the team’s main play-caller. Getting out from under Shanahan’s shadow would allow Kubiak to be the primary architect of his own offense. He could demonstrate his ability to bring one of the league’s signature offensive schemes and even add his own wrinkles to further establish his own identity. Success in that role, particularly as a full-time play-caller, would boost Kubiak’s resume for potential future head coaching opportunities.
It seems, though, that he will not get that chance. Kubiak could petition the 49ers to let him out of his contract for a lateral move to another offensive coordinator gig, but the team does not have to oblige him. If that remains their stance, Kubiak may have to wait out his current deal or wait for an offer for a head coaching job to land with a different team. Shanahan’s only other offensive coordinator in the past nine years, Mike McDaniel, was able to vault directly into the Dolphins’ head coaching job without a stint elsewhere, so the potential is certainly there for Kubiak, too.
