Play-caller
- Calls plays: Kyle Shanahan (HC) — confirmed, incumbent: Shanahan remains the primary play-caller in 2026 with OC Klay Kubiak calling "a lot of plays" situationally; SF blocked any lateral OC move for Kubiak, who withdrew from HC consideration and stays for 2026 (ProFootballRumors 2026-01; Niners Nation "Kubiak plans to stay"; 49ers.com OC profile — all re-verified 2026-07-07). Kubiak called plays in at least one 2025 game (vs DEN — SI), but the offense is Shanahan's.
- Tenure with team: 10th season as SF HC/play-caller (2017–) · Prior relationship with QB1: Purdy's only NFL coach (since 2022); Shanahan also went 5-3 with backup Mac Jones in 2025.
Last 3 play-calling stops (all SF — Shanahan has called SF's plays since 2017; all rows regular-season only, computed 2026-07-07 from nflverse pbp/FTN/participation via nflreadpy under one consistent model — see method notes below):
| Stop (team, yrs) | PROE | Neutral pass% | Sec/play (neutral) | Motion% | PA% | 11 / 12 / 21% | Condensed% | RB tgt share | WR1 TS | Inside-10 pass% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF 2025 | −0.9% (nflfastR xpass; alt source statrankings.com shows +2.96/3rd — different model, treat nflfastR series as canonical) | 58.2% (n=589) | 5th/32 fastest (37.9s derived; see pace note) | 68.5% (FTN, n=1,065) | 22.3% of dropbacks (n=629) | 43.1 / 10.8 / 36.6 (+8.4% 22 — league-high 21-pers usage; "more 21 than any other team" — Niners Nation, 2025) | UNVERIFIED | 30.5% RB+FB (RB-only 25.6% — 141/550, receiving.csv) | Team leader RB CMC 23.5%; top WR Jennings 16.4% | 54.2% (n=96) |
| SF 2024 | −2.2% | 58.1% (n=527) | 30th/32 (39.6s) | 69.6% (FTN, n=1,014) | 19.1% (n=612) | 49.3 / 7.5 / 35.5 (+4.2% 22) | UNVERIFIED | 17.7% RB+FB | Jennings 22.0% | 49.0% (n=102) |
| SF 2023 | −2.2% | 56.8% (n=486) | 31st/32 (40.2s) | 66.5% (FTN, n=996) | 20.1% (n=541) | 39.6 / 13.7 / 37.2 (+8.8% 22) | UNVERIFIED | 23.8% RB+FB | Aiyuk 21.8% (REG+POST) | 36.8% (n=87) |
Method notes (all computed 2026-07-07): PROE = mean(pass) − mean(xpass) on rush/pass plays, nflfastR expected-pass model. Neutral = win prob 20–80%, >2:00 left in half. Pace = snap-to-snap game-clock delta with running clock (prev play in-bounds run/completion, same drive), league-ranked under the same method — the rank is the signal; the absolute seconds are not comparable to the methodology's 27.5/29.5 bands. Motion/PA = FTN charting share of rush/pass plays / dropbacks. Personnel = nflverse participation. RB tgt share includes FB Juszczyk.
Read: The canonical Shanahan/McVay-tree caller — mildly run-lean PROE at full strength (−2.2 both prior years, −0.9 in the injury-reshaped 2025), elite motion rate (66–70%, top tier all three years), healthy play-action, and league-high 21 personnel (~36% every year) that structurally caps WR3 snaps. Two real 2025 shifts to carry forward: pace flipped from bottom-2 to 5th-fastest (corroborated by FanDuel Research charting, Oct 2025), and the inside-10 pass rate has climbed three straight years (36.8 → 49.0 → 54.2%) — red-zone TD equity now tilts toward the pass catchers (CMC receiving, Kittle, the new WRs) rather than plunge carries. The target tree is the NFL's most RB-funneled (30.5% RB+FB in 2025; CMC led the team outright); the WR1 target share has never exceeded ~22% under this roster construction — expect Evans/Kittle to split the non-CMC lead rather than either reaching a true alpha share. Designed-touch/YAC roles are claims on Shanahan and are stable; Evans/Kirk slot into established archetypes rather than forcing scheme change.
Scheme family
- Run scheme: Wide/outside zone (Shanahan tree) with gap/counter change-ups out of 21/22 personnel — RB profiles that fit: one-cut, lateral-burst backs (CMC; rookie Kaelon Black was drafted explicitly for scheme + pass-pro fit — NBC Bay Area, Shanahan quotes, May 2026). Downhill plodders don't fit.
- Pass-game family: Shanahan/McVay tree — wide zone married to play-action (22.3% of dropbacks), elite motion (68.5%), league-high 21 personnel. Implications: YAC engine with intermediate in-breakers; mid aDOT; slot/YAC profiles and TE/FB routes eat; WR3 snaps are structurally capped (43.1% 11 personnel = bottom of the league); the No. 1 target can carry a huge share, but in this roster the "WR1 target share" historically funnels through CMC/Kittle as much as any wideout.
