Report: 49ers to conduct open search to fill OC position before promoting Kubiak originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
THE Klay Kubiak promoted by the 49ers to offensive coordinator may not be such a simple procedure after all.
The NFL requires each team to interview at least two external minority candidates in person or virtually for a coordinator position.
The 49ers are expected to conduct an open search to fill the offensive coordinator role, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported Friday, citing a source.
Although 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week he would name Klay Kubiak offensive coordinator, NFL rules don’t allow it. The source tells @NFLonCBS the team will conduct an open search for their OC position.
-Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 11, 2025
Since Kyle Shanahan was hired as head coach of the 49ers in 2017, there has only been one season in which the team has had an individual in the offensive coordinator role.
In 2021, Mike McDaniel held the title. The following year, the Miami Dolphins hired McDaniel as head coach.
The position remained unoccupied for the next three seasons. But Shanahan announced Wednesday that Kubiak will return to the offensive coordinator role next season.
Shanahan said Kubiak was assigned the responsibilities of a non-player offensive coordinator for the past two seasons.
“He just hasn’t had the official title yet,” Shanahan said. “And now he will get the official title, which he thoroughly deserves, but it’s more about recognizing what he’s already done and what he’s doing at a high level.”
Kubiak, 36, a specialist in the team’s offensive passing game, games canceled in 49ers’ 47-24 season-ending loss at the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. San Francisco totaled 436 yards on offense, with Joshua Dobbs totaling a career-high 326 yards.
Shanahan will continue to call plays in the future, as he emphasized that only one coach is allowed to have a direct line to the quarterback via a radio transmitter.
Shanahan said his planned promotion of Kubiak is more about recognizing what Kubiak has already contributed to the offensive side of the ball.
Kubiak helps with game planning and preparation for the 49ers’ offense, along with running game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Foerster and tight ends coach Brian Fleury, said Shanahan.
