[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2026 NFL Preview magazine. Order your issue online today, or grab a copy at newsstands and retail racks nationwide.]
Think there’s a little nepotism in the coaching business? Klint Kubiak was a 28-year-old wide receivers coach at the University of Kansas in 2015. Less than one month after Gary Kubiak won Super Bowl 50 that season as head coach of the Denver Broncos, he hired Klint, his son, as an offensive assistant.
Fast forward to 2026. With Klint Kubiak hired as the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, there are four current head coaches who are sons or grandsons of former NFL head coaches.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was a high school senior when father Mike won the first of back-to-back Super Bowls with the Broncos in January 1998. Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was 11 years old when his dad, Marty Schottenheimer, got his first head-coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1984. Brian was hired by his dad on three different teams: as a 25-year-old assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998; as quarterbacks coach with the Washington Redskins in 2001; and as QBs coach with the San Diego Chargers in 2002.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay’s dad never played or coached — but his grandfather, John McVay, was head coach of the New York Giants from 1976-78 and then a key executive with the 49ers from 1980-99, earning five Super Bowl rings along the way.
There are also two sets of brothers that will be coaching in 2026, with the Harbaughs (Jim and John) and the LaFleurs (Matt and Mike).
All in all, that means 25% of this year’s NFL head coaches — one out of every four — has a relative who is currently or was once an NFL head coach.
When it comes to sibling rivalries, the LaFleurs have a long way to go to catch up to the Harbaughs. John and Jim, who famously became the first brothers to square off for a championship when John (193 career wins including postseason) led the Baltimore Ravens past Jim (71) and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, have combined for 264 NFL victories. That’s the most ever for a pair of head-coaching brothers. Second on the brotherly list are the Grudens, with Jon (122) and Jay (35) combining for 157 wins.
As for father-son head-coaching tandems, Kyle Shanahan needs just nine more wins to make him and Mike the first father-son duo to both have at least 100 victories. Still, they’ve got a long way to go to catch the top pair.
Here’s a rundown of the father-son head-coaching tandems with the most wins*:
1. Don and David Shula (366)
David had only 19 career victories, but his dad just happens to be the NFL’s all-time wins leader with 347.
2. Mike and Kyle Shanahan (269)
We’ll see if Kyle sticks around long enough to challenge the Shulas’ mark. As it stands, Mike (178 wins) and Kyle (91) are the only father-son duo to have both taken a team to the Super Bowl.
3. Marty and Brian Schottenheimer (212)
Marty (205 wins) was an NFL head coach for 21 years, so Brian has work to do after winning seven games in his first season with the Dallas Cowboys last year.
4. Bum and Wade Phillips (169)
Very evenly matched — Bum won 86 games, Wade 83.
5. Jim Mora and Jim L. Mora (157)
Jim had 125 wins, Jim L. 32.
6. Buddy and Rex Ryan (120)
Maybe the most colorful father-son pair. Both coaches won Super Bowls as assistants — Buddy as a defensive coordinator and Rex as a defensive line coach — though both Buddy (55 wins) and Rex (65) had losing records as head coaches.
*Totals include postseason wins
