The head coach of the New Orleans Saints meant it.
The New Orleans Saints head coach really meant what he said
The fact that other clubs enjoy cutting players is one of the drawbacks of owning a consistent Super Bowl contender with defenses and offenses that rank in the top 10 every year.
Given that the San Francisco 49ers have made three straight trips to the NFC Championship game and are back in the Super Bowl, it makes sense that other clubs would want to take assistants from head coach Kyle Shanahan’s staff.
Many of the Niners’ executives and coaches have already been seen interviewing elsewhere, and assistant general manager Adam Peters is leaving to take a general manager position with the Washington Commanders.
It looks like Shanahan will be losing another offensive staff member.
Since Mike McDaniel left the position to take the head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins in 2022, Shanahan has continued to lead San Francisco’s offensive playcalling.
But during the course of 2023, passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak—one of Shanahan’s assistants—rose to prominence in NFL circles. Although the 49ers had the third-best scoring offense in the league under Shanahan, Kubiak also received some attention because of quarterback Brock Purdy and the pass game’s significant advancements.
After spells with the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos, two teams with Shanahan-esque offenses, Kubiak joined Shanahan’s staff in 2023.
Kubiak will leave the Niners after just one season, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He will replace head coach Dennis Allen as offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints.
With Kubiak’s help, San Francisco’s passing attack ranked fourth in the NFL in terms of total yards (4,384) and had the best net average of 8.4 yards per attempt.
Over the years, Shanahan’s tree has been able to survive the loss of important assistants, but it appears that he and the 49ers will now have to deal with another departure.
