It appears that Klint Kubiak, the coordinator of the passing game for the San Francisco 49ers, will take over as offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. Adam Schefter of ESPN NFL Insider said as much on Friday afternoon.
According to Schefter, a deal between the Saints and Kubiak to bring him to New Orleans is nearing completion. Next Sunday, in Super Bowl LVIII, Kubiak will be coaching the 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs. Official deals can only be made following the game.
Kubiak, who turns 37 on February 17, spent just one season as a member of the 49ers. On their route to winning the NFC title in 2023, San Francisco finished third in points scored and second in total offense. During the 2023 season, the 49ers ranked first in red zone efficiency, third in rushing yardage, and fourth in throwing productivity.
Klint played safety for Colorado State from 2005 to 2009. His father, Gary Kubiak, was a Super Bowl-winning head coach and a former NFL quarterback. From 2010 to 2012, he served as Texas A&M’s graduate assistant and quality control coach before beginning his coaching career.
From 2013 to 2014, Kubiak was employed by the Minnesota Vikings as an offensive quality control assistant. When Joe Woods, the current defensive coordinator of the Saints, was coaching Minnesota’s defensive backs in 2013, Klint was a member of his staff.
In 2015, Kubiak went back to teaching in college, this time at Kansas as the wide receivers coach. He was hired by the Denver Broncos in 2016 as an offensive assistant after spending a year there. He would stay there for three years, serving as defensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018 under Joe Woods and head coach Gary’s father in 2016.
Kubiak returned to Minnesota in 2019 to work as the Vikings’ quarterback coach. In 2019 and 2020, Gary Kubiak served as Minnesota’s offensive coordinator and assistant coach. In 2021, after Gary retired, Klint was elevated to the position of offensive coordinator. That season, the Vikings finished 11th in passing yards and 17th in running production while ranking 12th overall.
In 2022, Kubiak returned to the Denver Broncos, this time in the roles of passing game coordinator and quarterback coach. Similar to what happened in Minnesota the previous season, Kubiak lost his job when the team let go of every coach on staff. With San Francisco, he more than made an impact and added diversity to one of the league’s top offenses.
This season, the 49ers averaged an NFL-best 6.6 yards per play and second-most first downs. They also scored at least 30 points in 10 of their games. They were fourth in the league with just 18 turnovers. They also had the best net yards per pass attempt (8.4) in the NFL.
Coach Kyle Shanahan of San Francisco was in charge of the team’s offensive assault. Nonetheless, Kubiak’s ability to create well-balanced game plans, utilize the greatest qualities of their best players, and support QB Brock Purdy’s continuous development won him great respect throughout the league.
Pete Carmichael, who was released by the Saints in January, is replaced by Kubiak. During his eighteen seasons with the team, Carmichael spent fifteen of them as offensive coordinator. It is the longest coordinator tenure in NFL history. The Saints finished 2023 rated ninth in points scored, 11th in passing yards, and 21st in rushing efficiency. They also finished 14th in total offense.
There are still vacancies in New Orleans for RB and WR coaches. It is likely that Kubiak will also decide whether to keep QB coach Ronald Curry, TE coach Clancy Barone, and offensive line coaches Doug Marrone and Jahri Evans.
Klint Kubiak won’t have a barren cupboard at the Saints. The most flexible running back in the game is Alvin Kamara, TEs Juwan Johnson and Taysom Hill offer significant matchup advantages, WR Rashid Shaheed is an explosive threat, and WR Chris Olave is coming off two straight seasons of 1,000 yards.
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