Kyle Shanahan’s attempt to decline a penalty is declined

In the second quarter, the Jaguars were hit with offensive holding fouls on consecutive plays. What followed was a confusion over enforcement and whether 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was allowed to decline one of the penalties.

The first foul occurred on a 2nd & 4 from the 16, which was enforced half the distance from the goal. On the 2nd & 12 from the 8, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw an incomplete pass when another offensive hold was called. Referee Clete Blakeman announced that it would also be enforced half-distance, bringing up 2nd & 17 from the 4.

Frequently during the game, the referee will announce a penalty is accepted or declined when the choice is apparently obvious without specifically asking the coach. If the crew selected the option that wasn’t preferred by the coach, he needs to inform them right away, and a correction is announced. An example of this occurred in 2024 — among other times — when Steelers coach Mike Tomlin opted to decline a foul to bring up fourth down.

Back to the 49ers game, it appears that Clete Blakeman’s crew moved forward with assessing the second offensive holding penalty, despite that it was only 4 yards and repeating 2nd down. As the Jaguars lined up for the 2nd & 17, Shanahan called timeout and was arguing with Blakeman that he should have been able to decline the penalty. That option is available, however a new rule this year limits the time that coaches can change their mind on accepting or declining a penalty. Once the ball is set after administering the penalty it cannot be changed. This is a rule instituted in the past offseason because coaches were changing their minds after seeing their opponent’s formation.

It’s not exactly clear what transpired during the dead-ball period, as the broadcast was showing a replay. At minimum, there was a communication breakdown between Shanahan and the officials. Field judge Karina Tovar and line judge Kent Payne had the 49ers sideline, and with the ball near the goal line, Tovar was closest to the bench area. Because of the nature of the short distance penalty vs. having the down count, this is one of those areas the crew should just consider a “toss up” and confirm the coach’s choice. It is also possible that a signal or gesture from Shanahan was interpreted as accepting the penalty. In both these possibilities, it underscores the need for clear communication from the coach to leave little to error.

Shanahan did have time to rescue the situation as well, because if in the process of administering the penalty he gets the attention of Tovar, Payne, or Blakeman, this would have been an easy fix. However, with the timeout granted with 9 seconds run off the play clock, that window had closed. This isn’t to imply that the coach is responsible for the error, but it’s always best that he communicates his intentions clearly, and quickly address anything with the wing official closest to the bench. And, it cost a timeout to boot.

There is still a lot that isn’t known about the dead-ball time and what transpired, so the degree to which the crew was remiss in administering the foul properly is unknown. But, this will likely be on the training tapes for officials this week, and it will serve as a reminder for all crews to have clear communication with the coach.

We have a conversation about this situation on the latest episode of the 1st & 25 podcast.