There was a fun wrinkle in the San Francisco 49ers’ season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco on Sunday reported via head coach Kyle Shanahan that 49ers offensive passing game specialist Klay Kubiak called plays in Week 18.
This was Kubiak’s regular-season debut as a play-caller in the NFL. He also called plays for two preseason games this year in his first stint in his current position. In 2022 and 2023 he was an assistant quarterbacks coach. In 2021, his first year with San Francisco, he was a defensive quality control coach.
The 49ers scored 24 points and averaged 6.0 yards per play with backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs starting under center. No. 1 wide receiver Jauan Jennings was also ejected during the first half after getting 10 targets in the first two quarters, forcing Kubiak to adjust to some different personnel. He also helped guide running back Patrick Taylor to a career-high 109 yards in an impressive outing for the fourth-year veteran.
It’s unclear why Shanahan afforded the opportunity to an assistant. The 49ers didn’t have much to play for with no postseason in play and their position cemented at the bottom of the NFC West. If there was ever a regular-season game where Shanahan would give up play-calling duties, Sunday’s season finale made a lot of sense.
The likelihood Shanahan is considering handing off those responsibilities to an offensive coordinator long-term is slim. Chances are he gave Kubiak the opportunity so he could get experience calling plays since his next job would likely involve play-calling as an offensive coordinator.
