Kyle Shanahan’s Friend Chris Simms Shares Scary Details of 49ers Coach’s Car Accident

Chris Simms, Kyle Shanahan’s longtime friend and former college teammate, shared what he knew about the 49ers coach’s ongoing recovery from a car accident in Palo Alto earlier this month.

Shanahan suffered multiple serious injuries stemming from a car accident he was involved in on July 14 when he collided with an SUV near his home in northern California, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Nick Wagoner reported. Shanahan broke his nose, three ribs and his left hand; he also needed more than 40 stitches in his face and suffered a severe concussion.

Simms, who played college football with Shanahan at Texas, revealed his initial reaction to hearing the news from Shanahan’s wife.

“It was scary, there’s no doubt about that,” Simms said on PFT Live on Monday. “... All of a sudden one day I get a text from Kyle’s wife, Mandy. She texts myself and my wife, and it’s like, ‘Oh no, Kyle’s been a part of some horrible accident.’ And she sent us some pictures right off the bat, and it was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ So just to 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.

“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. It happened about 10 days ago now, 11, maybe somewhere like that. ... 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.”

Chris Simms shared some information on Kyle Shanahan’s car accident and revealed he was close to losing an eye 😳

Via: @ProFootballTalk pic.twitter.com/I7ZrjCsv62
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) July 27, 2026

“I don’t think [Shanahan would] have any problem with me sharing this. It hit him hard, right?” continued Simms. “He was emotional about it, because he realized how close it was to being just a complete, you know, utter disaster. Like, really, it was a disaster anyways. But when you’re that part of that accident, like I said, he could have lost his right eye. It could have been a lot worse. He’s very concerned about the woman he got in the accident with and how she is and handling that situation. So there’s just a lot there. And I think it was a lot for him to process at first as well.

“And then, of course, with it being a few days before you’ve got to start going to the office and worrying about football and everything else on top of it, where your break’s ending and you’re dealing with that as well, yeah, it was tough for him. It’s tough for their family. Their kids were in shock, and you just realize how fragile life can be, and how it can all change in just one split second. And thank God he’s OK.”

The other driver in the car accident, a 21-year-old woman, was not injured, according to local police, and no drugs or alcohol were involved.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that authorities believe the head-on collision happened after the woman made an unsafe turn while driving her car in the opposite direction of Shanahan on a four-lane street.

Shanahan was holding and using a cellphone at the time of the car accident, according to the California Crash Reporting System, and was in violation of California Vehicle Code 23123.5 (a), which prohibits holding and operating a cell phone while driving a motor vehicle. However, he was not cited for the collision. That being said, Shanahan was not deemed to be at fault, per the statewide database.

Kyle Shanahan’s recovery timeline for 49ers training camp, season

The 49ers announced shortly after the news broke that Shanahan would be limited at the start of training camp as he continues to recover.

“Kyle is doing good,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said in a presser on Saturday. “He’s got some bumps and bruises. He did suffer a concussion in the accident, has some lingering effects from that concussion. We don’t have a protocol for staff members when it comes to concussions, but we do with players and it’s become very helpful. … We’re going to let the condition, the doctors dictate how he comes back, when he comes back.”

In the interim, assistant head coach Chris Foerster as well as team coordinators will take over Shanahan’s responsibilities.

The NFL’s Return to Participation protocol includes five phases that players must go through in order to be cleared for action after suffering a concussion. As a coach, Shanahan probably won’t need to pass as many physical exercise tests or training drills, but it stands to reason that the 49ers will be monitoring their leader with plenty of caution heading into the new season.

Shanahan is entering his 10th campaign as the organization’s head coach, and under his tenure San Francisco has logged two Super Bowl berths and clinched three NFC West titles. The 46-year-old boasts an 82-67 regular season record, good for third-most in wins in 49ers franchise history behind George Seifert (98) and Bill Walsh (92).

The 49ers will open their 2026 season against their division rival, the Rams, on Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia. Lynch noted in his presser that the team is “anticipating” Shanahan to be back by that date.

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