'I think his kids take right after him': Gary Kubiak laid the foundation for his sons Klint, Klay and Klein

• Ryan McFaddenNov 4, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

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  Ryan McFadden covers the Las Vegas Raiders for ESPN's NFL Nation. Prior to ESPN, McFadden was a Denver Broncos beat reporter for the Denver Post. McFadden also wrote about the Baltimore Ravens and University of Maryland athletics for The Baltimore Sun.

LEVI'S STADIUM HAS provided special memories for Gary Kubiak and his family. It was the place where he won Super Bowl 50 as the Denver Broncos' head coach. Ten years later, his eldest son, Klint, as an offensive coordinator also won in the same stadium, helping the Seattle Seahawks earn the Super Bowl LX title.

And during the Las Vegas Raiders' Week 9 game against the San Francisco 49ers, another family memory will be created in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox). On one sideline, Klint, 39, will be leading the Raiders as a first-time head coach. Across the field, his brother Klay, 38, will help 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan as the offensive coordinator. Meanwhile, the youngest of the three brothers, Klein, 35, will sit in the press box doing advanced scouting ahead of the Dallas Cowboys' Week 10 matchup against San Francisco.

"It's weird how the world works," Klein, a national scout/special projects for Dallas since 2022, told ESPN.

Gary, 65, never imagined his three sons would follow his path of working in the NFL. But they were destined to.

As Gary served as the offensive coordinator in Denver from 1995 to 2005, working for Kyle's father and former head coach, Mike, his kids were around football almost 24/7, forging their passion for the sport.

Gary, who was quarterback John Elway's backup in Denver from 1983 to 1991, is also known for his four Super Bowl victories (three as an assistant and one as a head coach in 2016) with the Broncos and recording 63 wins as the Houston Texans' coach from 2006 to 2013. But his greatest accomplishment could very well be the football legacy he created with his kids.

Klint, one of the league's most respected offensive minds, is the second head coach in his family and a key figure in the Raiders' rebuild. Klay, in the midst of his sixth season with the 49ers and second as the team's offensive coordinator, is on track to follow in his brother's footsteps as the next head coach in the Kubiak household. And Klein is building on a respectable career as a scout.

Each brother's journey is unique. The commonality is Gary's impact and how they have embodied their father's ideologies along the way.

"I knew if [Gary's kids] wanted to get into coaching, they'd be great because of everything that their dad did," former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl champion, told ESPN. "[Gary] took as much pride as any football coach would take, knowing that when he got his opportunity, he didn't want to let anybody down. I think his kids take right after him.

"It's pretty obvious why the Kubiaks have had so much success as a family."

KLINT DIDN'T THINK he wanted to be a football coach. But when he sat in on the Texans' draft meetings in 2009, listening to his father and other coaches talk about defensive ends, he began to have a change of heart.

"I think they were maybe studying [defensive end Jason] Pierre-Paul that day," Klint, a Texas native, said. "... I just saw this big room full of guys just talking football, and then when the meetings were over, I was in the coach's locker room, and it was my dad and all the coaches, and they were just sitting there and shooting the bull.

"I just remember thinking at that moment, like, 'Man, this isn't such a bad job.'"

Klint played wide receiver and defensive back at Colorado State from 2005 to 2009. After his playing days were over, Klint received a taste of the family business. He was an offensive quality control coach (2010-11) and a graduate assistant at Texas A&M (2012), working with wide receivers such as Mike Evans (new to the 49ers this season).

Initially, Klint wanted to work on defense, given his playing background as a DB. Two weeks into the job, then-Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman, who also spent five seasons as the Green Bay Packers coach and was on Gary's staff in Houston, told Klint that he wanted someone else to take his job. And so Klint had to be an offensive graduate assistant.

"I was really upset about it. ... Then it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me," Klint said.

David Beaty, the Aggies' wide receivers coach in 2012, said Klint wasn't your "normal graduate assistant." He said Klint was a self-starter, always going the extra mile, and incorporated his own ideas to make plays easier for the players.

"[Klint] could've been the full-time wide receiver coach," Beaty told ESPN. "This guy's work ethic was second to none [to anyone] I've ever been around."

Beaty called Klint a "football junkie." No one could beat Klint into the building in the morning, and no one knew if he ever went home. When the team returned to campus from road games, Klint went straight to the office to grade wide receivers while everyone else went home.

Beaty added that Klint spent an enormous amount of time breaking down video of opponents' defensive fronts, coverages and blitzes, providing an accurate report for him and Kliff Kingsbury, the Aggies offensive coordinator at the time, to use.

Even though Klint wasn't sure he wanted to be a head coach, Beaty saw the signs.

"He was the best nurse that a doctor could have," Beaty said. "When you came in, all you had to do was grab the scalpel and go to work."

Evans, who was a freshman at the time, said Klint instilled confidence in him by watching film and critiquing his game.

"Klint is the man. I love that guy," Evans said. "When you're 17, 18 years old, you ain't thinking about, 'Oh, this guy's going to be a great head coach one day.' I'm just like, 'Man, he definitely knows what he's talking about. I should listen to him."

But being a graduate assistant didn't pay enough. Klint was married to his wife, Tessa, and even though none of his four children were born yet, Klint felt like he was letting his family down and wanted to try something new. So he left Texas A&M and worked at an oil field in Texas. Two weeks into his new job, Klint realized he missed being a part of a team. Klint appreciated his time at the oil field, but he belonged in football.

A few months later, in 2013, Kubiak became an offensive quality control coach for the Minnesota Vikings before transitioning back to the college level.

In December 2014, Beaty became the coach at Kansas, and as he was filling out his staff, he reached out to Kubiak about becoming the Jayhawks' wide receivers coach.

Kubiak's first full-time coaching job didn't feature any team success. The Jayhawks finished 0-12 -- one of three times in program history they compiled a winless record.

While in Kansas, Klint was itching to return to the NFL, where he didn't have to worry about recruiting -- only football. To his benefit, an opportunity to work for Gary in Denver opened. Brian Callahan left his offensive assistant position for the Broncos to become the Detroit Lions' quarterbacks coach, leaving an opening on Gary's staff.

Previously, Klint never wanted to work for his father. He was aware of the stigma attached to being a coach's kid. In Klint's words, he didn't want to feel like the son who automatically landed on third base because of his parent.

Klint softened on the idea, viewing it as a chance to spend more time with his dad, but also learn from him. But if he took the Broncos' job, Klint was determined to be the hardest-working person in the building.

"That's always been something really important to me," Klint said. "Like if I got a chance to work for my dad, I want to make sure I did it the right way."

Beaty thought so highly of Klint that he was prepared to offer the offensive coordinator job to convince him to stay.

However, Klint's heart was made up.

Klint spent three years as the Broncos' offensive assistant. He went back to Minnesota, where he served as a quarterbacks coach (2019-20) and offensive coordinator (2021). Minnesota was 12th in points (25 per game) and 14th in total yards (362.8) in Klint's lone season as the offensive playcaller. Since then, Klint has had a different job on a different team in each of the past five years.

After calling offensive plays for the New Orleans Saints in 2024 and the Seahawks last season, he became the Raiders' 25th head coach.

Raiders general manager John Spytek was a national scout for the Broncos in 2015 when Gary was there but left before Klint arrived. Now working with Klint in Las Vegas, Spytek has noticed the father and son are pretty similar. Klint challenges his players. He holds them accountable, and his expectations are consistent but also self-aware and owns up to his mistakes -- just like his father did.

"[Klint is] very thorough, detailed [and] hardworking," Spytek said. "He doesn't have time. Phone calls are about two minutes, and then you might get hung up on before you get a chance to say goodbye. I just appreciate that he's the same guy every day."

Raiders' players and assistant coaches have praised Klint for his authenticity and care for others. Klint is blunt and doesn't tolerate any nonsense. But he makes it known each day that he wants everyone around him to be their best.

Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins had the opportunity to play for Klint and Gary in Minnesota. He said the father and son have great command of their systems. Cousins added that it's easy to communicate with Klint and have candid conversations.

Defensive end Maxx Crosby said he respects Klint because he will "get on everyone's ass" the same way and doesn't shy away from it.

"He's going to push us, and that's what you want in a coach," Crosby said. "All you can ask for is a guy that's consistent, loves the game and going to be the same person all the time. ...That's why the locker room loves him."

KLAY WAS DRAWN to teaching.

Klay was a quarterback at Colorado State from 2007 to 2010 before getting a master's degree in English at TCU. He put his degree to good use, teaching at Strake Jesuit -- a college preparatory school for boys in Houston.

"I had great teachers in high school and college, and those were kind of my mentors," Klay told ESPN. "I think [becoming a teacher was] a product of having great mentors and just being motivated by the subject matter."

Klay said he enjoyed overseeing students' development, a mindset that carried over to football. He spent seven seasons as a coach at Strake Jesuit, compiling a 24-11 record in three seasons as the coach.

Klay's passion for coaching football grew, and he wanted a new challenge by working in the NFL. Gary called up Kyle Shanahan, who worked under him in multiple assistant roles, including offensive coordinator, with the Texans, and said Klay wanted to get into coaching in the league.

Kyle has known Klay since childhood because of their fathers' time together in Denver.

"I'm so pumped that he came to me because I feel very lucky to get Klay," Kyle said.

In 2021, Klay was hired by the 49ers as a defensive quality control coach. The following year, Klay became the assistant quarterbacks coach. He and Klint were a part of the same Niners' staff in 2023 when Klint was the passing game coordinator.

"That was a really special year. Who knows if we'll ever do that again," Klay said. "We grew a lot as people, as coaches, and just to look back on that time and say, 'I got to spend every day with my brother and learn from him and grind through a season with him.'"

Klay has been San Francisco's offensive coordinator since 2025 and was in the mix for head coaching opportunities this past offseason. Klay interviewed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and twice with Las Vegas in the offseason before withdrawing his name for vacancies to continue working with Kyle.

But Klay could be a candidate for coaching jobs in the near future. He has helped Kyle lead the Niners to a 7-1 record ahead of Sunday's game against the Raiders. San Francisco has a prolific offense, ranking third in points (28.14 per game) and eighth in total yards (371.4).

"Our experience growing up was so beneficial to working in this league and knowing what the expectations are," Klint said. "We're fortunate to work in the NFL. You are one of 32 no matter your job, so it's a privilege."

KLEIN TOOK A different journey in football. He was a wide receiver for four years (2010 to 2013) at Rice. Coincidentally, he played under Beaty, who was his offensive coordinator as a freshman.

Klein described himself as someone who enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together. He enjoyed the idea of putting a team together, adding players through free agency and the draft.

"That's always been fascinating to me," Klein said. "[Klint and Klay] are elite in what they do in terms of X's and O's, and I just kind of wanted to carve my own path."

In 2012, Klein was a salary cap intern for the Texans. After graduating from Rice, Klein joined the Broncos' staff as a personnel intern in 2014. A year later, he was promoted to personnel assistant. His final promotion with the Broncos was as a Southwest area scout -- a role he held from 2016 to 2018 before joining the Cowboys' organization.

Klein holds his 2016 season in Denver close to his heart. He was a part of the scouting department at the same time Gary was the head coach, and Klint was in his first season as the team's offensive assistant.

"I wasn't necessarily in the office every day with them. But just getting to go to war together and [sharing] a common goal with family like that's rare in any business, especially in our business," Klein said.

IN EARLY AUGUST, Gary was living a parent's dream.

He sat in an office in San Francisco, discussing football with Klay and Kyle.

Days later, Gary was in Las Vegas, where he watched his oldest son, Klint, lead his first training camp as the Raiders' coach.

"For my sons to be involved in football right now is interesting because it gives me a chance to relate to their careers," Gary said. "To sit there and have an iPad and watch [Raiders] practice and talk to [Klint] is pretty cool for me."

Klint talks to Gary every day, he said. He called it a unique relationship, having Gary as a resource while navigating his first season in a new role. Klint added Gary provides tough love and delivers the truth even if he doesn't want to hear it.

Gary called coaching a six-month jail sentence each year because he was away from home so much.

That's why the time he and Klint coached together in Denver and Minnesota was meaningful. Gary was the Vikings' assistant head coach from 2019 to 2020, while Klint was the quarterbacks coach. Gary was also the team's offensive coordinator in 2020 and then retired in January 2021 after 29 years of coaching. Klint took over the role in the following season.

Gary said the responsibility as a head coach was hectic. But there was also a special feeling whenever he conducted team meetings and saw Klint sitting among the other coaches.

"You're talking to 30 heads in a room about how you're going to do something, and you look, and your son is sitting in the corner, staring right at you," Gary said. "As a father, that was a huge responsibility and something that I never took lightly."

The days Klint and his brothers spent at Broncos' training camp as kids offered a bonding time with Gary in the midst of the daily football grind.

Klint recalled being a ball boy during practice, spotting the ball ahead of 7-on-7, and listening to players communicate in the huddle. Klein loved going to the Inverness hotel in Englewood, Colorado, where the team stayed, and swimming in the pool on Saturday nights to spend quality time with Gary. Klay enjoyed walking around the locker room, mesmerized by Elway, Terrell Davis, Rod Smith, and most of all, former Broncos center Tom Nalen -- his childhood hero.

"You're seeing how great players work every day," Klay said. "Not only that but being around Mike Shanahan and seeing how he led an organization, stuff just rubs off on you. ... It has a big influence on me today."

Klint explained that one of the biggest lessons he learned from his father was being your true self no matter the job title. Klint said Gary was the same person that he saw at home with his brothers.

Through seeing his dad work, Klint was taught that he could be a leader without changing his personality, which is steady, calm and unassuming. On top of that, Gary emphasized his sons getting into coaching for the right reasons.

"You don't want the first thing out of their mouth to be, 'Hey, that guy treated me wrong," Klint said. "The first thing that comes out of their mouth [should be], 'I got better as a coach working for that guy, and I got closer with my family. And that's what guys said about my dad.'"

ESPN reporter Nick Wagoner contributed to this story.