The San Francisco 49ers have officially stated to training camp but will begin building the foundation for the 2026 campaign with their head coach limited. The team unveiled in a statement Saturday that Kyle Shanahan was involved in a car accident last week and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Shanahan, 46, will still participate in team activities, but on a limited basis. Assistant head coach Chris Foerster and the team coordinators will handle the bulk of the head coach duties while Shanahan recuperates. In a press conference on Saturday, 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters that he does not expect Shanahan to miss Week 1 of the regular season.
Here is the full official statement from the 49ers:
“San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a car accident last week where he suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Coach Shanahan will participate in team activities on a limited basis at the start of training camp while he recovers. Coach Shanahan and the 49ers organization would like to sincerely thank all first responders involved for their efforts and care.
Assistant Head Coach Chris Foerster along with team coordinators will handle head coach responsibilities during this period.”
The accident occurred July 14 when Shanahan collided with an SUV near his Northern California home, per ESPN. While the injuries weren’t life-threatening, they were significant. ESPN stated that Shanahan broke his nose, three ribs and his hand, suffered a severe concussion and needed more than 40 stitches to his face.
According to Shanahan’s close friend, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, Shanahan was also close to losing his right eye in the accident.
“So just to let you know, paint the picture, you’ve seen the injury report, the broken ribs, 40 stitches in the face, the broken nose, broken left hand. Of course, the bad concussion. But when you first see it, and it’s fresh, and some of the cuts are still wide open, I mean, it’s jarring. It’s jarring,” Simms mentioned on PFT Live.
“He was this close to maybe losing his right eye, right? The scar is so big right here. And so all that stuff was just crazy to see. And, of course, I was thinking of my friend, but yeah, it’s tough. And he’s still battling with this concussion. . . . He’s healing. His face looks a whole lot better, but this concussion, of course, being a part of that kind of accident is lingering and it’s giving him issues, and he’s certainly still dealing with that.”
Shanahan on Tuesday called a group of reporters into his office to clarify certain circumstances of the crash. He mentioned that the state database mishandled some of the details and, importantly, that it was him who crossed into oncoming traffic and not the 21-year-old driver of the other vehicle. Shanahan recounted that his phone slipped out of his lap and that he went to reach for it. When he sat back up, the airbag deployed.
Despite his concussion and significant injuries to his face, Shanahan mentioned he never lost consciousness and that he remembered the crash clearly.
Shanahan was taken by paramedics to a local hospital and released later the day of the accident. The other driver was not injured, according to Palo Alto Lt. Nicholas Martinez. He also told ESPN that drugs and alcohol were not involved, and both drivers cooperated with law enforcement.
Since the crash, Shanahan has been recovering at home and informed the coaching staff of the incident on Tuesday. He has yet to be cleared by doctors for full coaching duties and won’t be until his concussion symptoms subside.
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, who worked with Shanahan when they were assistants in Washington, mentioned he’s spoken to the 49ers coach since the car accident. McVay, a fellow NFC West coach, mentioned Shanahan has a great perspective on the accident and on his recovery.
“I have talked to him. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, and I know he’s got an incredible perspective on it all. And Kyle’s a stud. I have as much respect for him as anybody and he’s a friend of mine, and I love him and hope that he’s going to have a great recovery,” McVay mentioned.
McVay expressed gratitude that the accident didn’t have a worse outcome and noted that Shanahan’s approach to his recovery is similar to how coaches run a team.
“Most importantly, thank God he and the other person involved are okay. Perspective is everything. We talk about that all the time as coaches, and everybody goes through different things,” McVay mentioned. “I think the most important thing is that he’s on the road to recovery. His wife Mandy, and he’s got a beautiful family, and I think any time that something like that happens, it shakes you up a little bit.”
Shanahan is entering his 10th season as the 49ers’ head coach. Since being hired in 2017, he has become one of the league’s top coaches, compiling an 82-67 (.550) regular-season record and a 9-5 playoff mark. Under his leadership, San Francisco has made two Super Bowl appearances and is coming off a 12-5 regular-season campaign in 2025 that ended with a divisional-round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
