SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan suffered significant injuries in a car crash during his summer break in mid-July that will leave him limited as the team opens training camp.
Shanahan broke his nose, three ribs and his hand, needed more than 40 stiches in his face, and suffered a severe concussion during a July 14 car crash when he collided with an SUV near his northern California home, according to sources familiar with the situation.
He is recovering well from many of the injuries, though he still has lingering concussion symptoms, general manager John Lynch said Saturday. Assistant head coach Chris Foerster will assume some of Shanahan’s duties until he returns, though Lynch said it will be a group effort to fill in for Shanahan.
Lynch added that while there is no defined concussion protocol for staff members, Shanahan will follow a similar process to what players go through to get clearance to return to work full time.
“Kyle basically is going to be like in the protocol,” Lynch said. “And we’re going to let the doctors dictate how he comes back, when he comes back. He’s been in the building, so we’ve seen him. It’s kind of like we do with our players, a phased back approach. Number one for Kyle and the Shanahan family is getting him back right.”
After the crash on the evening of July 14 in Palo Alto, paramedics took Shanahan to a local hospital, where he spent much of that night before his release. According to Palo Alto Lt. Nicholas Martinez, the other driver suffered no injuries.
Martinez said drugs and alcohol were not involved and that both drivers were cooperative with the police. No one was cited for the collision.
“Consistent with our standard release of information procedures in such cases, we do not release information regarding the cause of the collision, or which party may have been at fault,” Martinez said.
With San Francisco’s first training camp practice on Sunday, Shanahan will be around the team some and may even be on the practice field but will not have his usual level of involvement until concussion symptoms clear.
“He did break his nose, and some black eyes are getting better,” Lynch said. “He broke some ribs, that’s painful, but that’s not what’s keeping him away. It’s the concussion. And like I said, we’ll continue to evaluate him, phase him back. And as he can tolerate things, we’ll expand those. And that will clearly be dictated by the doctors and nothing else.”
In addition to Foerster, coordinators Raheem Morris (defense), Klay Kubiak (offense) and Brant Boyer (special teams) will take on larger roles, according to Lynch. Lynch said meetings might be a bit different without Shanahan leading them, but he said he believes the veteran coaching staff and older players such as linebacker Fred Warner and offensive tackle Trent Williams can handle any added leadership responsibilities while Shanahan recovers.
“We’re not blinking,” Lynch said. “I believe our culture kind of speaks for itself, and we believe what our culture is, the people. Chris is one of those who we think very highly of. He’s equipped to do this. Our staff is equipped, but it will very much be a collective effort.”
Shanahan informed his assistant coaches Tuesday of the crash, and players slowly have been getting the news with Shanahan’s wife, Mandy, making calls to team leaders over the past week, according to Lynch.
The 2026 season is the 10th for Shanahan in San Francisco, which will tie him with Bill Walsh for the longest tenure by a head coach in franchise history. Shanahan enters the season with 82 regular-season victories, third most for the franchise. With 11 wins this season, he would surpass Walsh for second on that list.
The 49ers open the season Sept. 10 against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. Asked whether there was a chance Shanahan won’t be back in time to lead the 49ers in that opener, Lynch indicated that was an unlikely scenario.
“That’s not what we’re anticipating,” Lynch said. “That’s not what I’ve heard from the doctors. But just like we talked about with players, the timeline kind of takes care of itself. He’s got to meet certain markers. But I think the expectation is that long before that he’ll be better.
“But again, everybody responds to these things differently, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to have him right when he comes back.”
