Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers looks on in the second quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium on Nov. 9 in Santa Clara.
Thearon W. Henderson
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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was injured in a vehicle crash, the team announced Saturday morning, and as a result will be limited in his participation in training camp.
The 49ers in a post to X said Shanahan was “involved in a car accident last week where he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.”
The team’s training camp is set to begin Sunday. The 49ers in their statement said Shanahan will participate “on a limited basis” early in camp.
Shanahan suffered a concussion, broken ribs and broken nose in the accident, a team source not authorized to comment publicly confirmed to The Sacramento Bee. ESPN reported Saturday that Shanahan required more than 40 stitches in his face, while authorities said drugs and alcohol were not involved.
49ers general manager John Lynch spoke to reporters at a press conference Saturday and said Shanahan will go through a concussion protocol similar to players, and his return date to full responsibilities hasn’t been determined. He won’t be cleared to return until concussion symptoms subside.
“He’s been in the building, so we’ve seen him,” Lynch said. “… You’ll probably see Kyle out there on the field some, to what he can tolerate. But we’re going to give the duties of actually running the team over to some other guys, and we have a really good plan.”
Lynch didn’t provide specifics as to how Shanahan’s absence would impact practices, other than noting it’s unlikely there will be full team meetings that are typically led by Shanahan breaking down game and practice film. Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak will continue to radio plays into the quarterbacks as he has for most of the last two training camps and call plays during the preseason.
The 49ers begin the regular season in 47 days when they travel to Melbourne, Australia, to take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10. Lynch said he expects Shanahan to be back in full capacity by then, but it will be up to the doctors evaluating his recovery.
“That’s not what we’re anticipating,” Lynch said when asked if Shanahan could miss the opener. “That’s not what I’ve heard from the doctors. But just like we’ve talked about with players, the timeline kind of takes care of itself. So he’s got to meet certain markers, but I think the expectation is that, long before that, he’ll be better. But everybody responds to these things differently. And we’re going to do whatever it takes to have him right when he comes back, and that’s the right thing to do.”
According to ESPN’s report, Shanahan was checked into a hospital where he was treated and was released without staying overnight. The other driver was not injured.
Lynch said Shanahan’s wife, Mandy, broke news of the accident to some team captains after it happened and that Lynch planned to address it in a full team meeting for the first time on Saturday afternoon.
“I’d say Kyle lives this, (with) his family and football,” Lynch said. “So he’s very eager to be there, but he knows he’s not ready to be. So that’s difficult for any competitor. So some emotions come with that. But he’s been at work, (I) visit him over at his house, and he’s handling it the way he should. But I think he goes through a process like we all do to get ready for a season, like players do, and it’s not ideal. But he understands that he’s gotta let the symptoms, the doctors, he’s understanding of that.”
Assistant head coach Chris Foerster and team coordinators will assume head coaching responsibilities while Shanahan recovers, the statement said. The 49ers this offseason hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris to be defensive coordinator and former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus to serve as a high-ranking assistant on defense.
The 49ers also have a veteran-laden roster which Lynch expects to lean on in Shanahan’s absence. Lynch mentioned Fred Warner, Trent Williams, Kyle Juszczyk, Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy, who have 30 Pro Bowl nods combined.
“We’ve got tremendous leadership,” Lynch said. “… But like I said, we’re not blinking. Our job is to be at our best and this team has had a focus all offseason that I’ve been very excited about. I know that we’ve improved our team but what gives me a ton of confidence is our approach. And so prior to this, the approach, the readiness, the preparation to be at our best, we understand that we play in a tremendous division that’s going to be incredibly competitive.”
ESPN reported the vehicle incident happened July 14 and that Palo Alto police responded. The 49ers’ statement thanked first responders for their efforts.
Shanahan, 46, has been the 49ers head coach since 2017 and is entering his 10th season. His 149 regular season games is second most in team history behind Bill Walsh. He needs 11 regular season wins to pass Walsh for the most in franchise history.
The Bee’s Michael McGough contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 25, 2026 at 9:28 AM.
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Chris Biderman covers sports and local news for The Sacramento Bee since joining in August 2018 to cover the San Francisco 49ers. He previously spent time with the Associated Press and USA Today Sports Media Group, and has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Athletic and on MLB.com. The Santa Rosa native graduated with a degree in journalism from the Ohio State University.