The San Francisco 49ers have officially reported to training camp but will begin building the foundation for the 2026 campaign with their head coach limited. The team announced 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 reported that Shanahan broke his nose, three ribs and his hand, suffered a severe concussion and needed more than 40 stitches to his face.
Shanahan was taken by paramedics to a local hospital and released later that day. 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 Tuesday. He has yet to be cleared by doctors for full coaching duties and won’t be until his concussion symptoms subside.
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.
