The San Francisco 49ers came up short yet again this past Sunday, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years. They will enter yet another NFL off-season of disappointment after coming up empty-handed following four NFC Championship appearances in the past five years, but one of their main coaches didn’t make it past Valentine’s Day.
3rd Ranked Defense In NFL Sees Coordinator Fired
A change in San Francisco: Steve Wilks is out as the 49ers defensive coordinator. pic.twitter.com/atNB1ConXy
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 14, 2024
Steve Wilks took over a 49ers defense that was ranked #1 in the NFL in 2022, but lost DeMeco Ryans as their coordinator when he took the head coaching job with the Houston Texans. Wilks was hired in early February of last year, and inherited much of the same talent that was there from the season prior.
He did a good enough job, it seemed. While they weren’t the top defense in the league in 2023, they still finished in the top-3 in points allowed, and were a big reason for the 49ers being able to play complimentary football and match their dynamic offense.
But that apparently wasn’t enough for him to keep his job longer than a single season. In the wake of the Super Bowl loss for San Francisco, Wilks was fired from his position, and the team is now looking for a new coordinator.
Was Wilks To Blame In The Super Bowl?
Nick Bosa said the #49ers weren’t prepared for the read option the Chiefs used on the game-winning drive. And Kyle Shanahan called a timeout in OT because he didn’t like a Cover 0 call.
It was an appropriate end to Steve Wilks’ bumpy debut season.https://t.co/nnTKPmBOSN pic.twitter.com/XXuS30TR92
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) February 14, 2024
It appears to be an odd move from the outside. The defense for the 49ers played rather well throughout most of the game against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, and weren’t the subject of blame for the loss. The fingers have instead been pointed at head coach Kyle Shanahan as well as the other slew of uncharacteristic mistakes (McCaffrey fumble, muffed punt return), but in the end it was Wilks who was made the apparent scapegoat.
San Francisco was just the latest stop for Wilks in a long coaching career. His resume is long, mostly because he generally doesn’t spend a whole lot of time in one spot. Each of his last five stops have been single-year tenures, with his last multi-year stay was during his six-year stint with the Carolina Panthers. He got his start in the NFL with the Chicago Bears in 2006
Shanahan was quoted about the decision, saying that Wilks “just ended up not being the right fit”.
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