​San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has assembled one of the league’s most distinctive coordinator pairings this season, blending a first-time offensive coordinator who has spent his entire coaching career working under Shanahan with a defensive coordinator who has bounced around the NFL for two decades. The 49ers’ duo—offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris—ranked as one of the league’s top coordinator tandems, according to Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano, who highlighted the pedigree and potential fueling both hires.
Kubiak already carries a high-profile footprint since his brother is Klint Kubiak, the Raiders’ first-year head coach, and his father is Gary Kubiak, the former longtime coach who led the Broncos to a Super Bowl title in 2015. Yet expect to hear more about Klay in the coming months if the 49ers successfully integrate Mike Evans into the offense. Arriving in San Francisco in 2021, Kubiak quickly aided Shanahan in sharpening the offense after his promotion to offensive coordinator in 2025 and has played a crucial role in Brock Purdy’s development.
On the other side, Morris starts fresh in San Francisco after a two-year stint as the Falcons’ head coach that did not yield the offensive results he sought in Atlanta, though he did improve the defense markedly last season. The Falcons increased their takeaways from 18 in 2024 to 23 in 2025, underscoring Morris’s impact on that side of the ball. He also enjoyed substantial success as McVay’s defensive coordinator in Los Angeles, contributing to the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning campaign in 2021.
Kubiak’s rapid ascent is a major reason many regard him as a potential head coach candidate for the 2027 offseason, even though he will turn 38 later this season. He joined the 49ers as a defensive quality control coach in 2021, advanced to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2022-23, became an offensive passing game specialist in 2024, and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2025. His climb provides him a level of continuity and familiarity with Shanahan’s system that is unusual for a first-time coordinator, even as Shanahan remains the primary play-caller.
Morris sits at the opposite end of the experience spectrum. He spent years as a typical assistant before becoming a head coach at 33 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then served as a defensive backs coach in Washington, a versatile assistant in Atlanta, and a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator with the Rams. Most recently, he endured a two-year stint as the Falcons’ head coach before moving to San Francisco. While Morris has previously worked with Shanahan on two occasions—first in Washington and then in Atlanta—the last direct collaboration dates back more than a decade when Morris served as Atlanta’s assistant head coach and wide receivers coach while Shanahan was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator.
Whether that time gap matters remains to be seen. The offense should remain elite under Shanahan’s oversight and with a bevy of returning stars, but the defense, having underperformed in 2025, raises concerns. With one coordinator steeped in Shanahan’s system and the other reuniting with him after a long separation, there is, at the very least, an intriguing story line to follow this season. The dynamic also carries a strong SEO appeal: a veteran, system-grown defensive mind paired with a rising, Shanahan-taught offensive mind creates a narrative that could carry through headlines and discussions as the 49ers chase another championship run.