The San Francisco 49ers chose to fire defensive coordinator Steve Wilks shortly after suffering a heartbreaking 25-22 overtime loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58. Wilks was sacked three days after the Niners’ Las Vegas catastrophe, with head coach Kyle Shanahan conceding the painful nature of the decision.
“Yes, that was the hardest part,” Shanahan acknowledged on a hurriedly organized conference call Wednesday. “I knew that would be the challenge. It was challenging. However, losing DeMeco has been very difficult. It was difficult loosing Saleh (two years prior). But we’ve committed not only to this scheme, but also to the guys who have been a part of it, including our defensive linemen and linebackers. I played in it for a very long period. My goal was to avoid having to modify all of them. And bringing in Steve, who was incredible in his loyalty and his attempt to achieve it.
“But it just ended up not being the right fit. It hurt for me to do this, but that’s exactly what I had to.”
The Super Bowl 58 Fallout For The San Francisco 49ers Include The Firing Of Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks
It all came down to fit for Wilks and the San Francisco 49ers. Wilks’ firing by the Niners appears to have been a long time coming, as the team did not view its defensive philosophy aligning with Wilks’ talents. The question is whether the Niners would have opted to give Wilks his walking papers if they defeated the Chiefs in Vegas.
Wilks joined the 49ers as defensive coordinator in 2023, following a spell with the Carolina Panthers in 2022. During his time in San Francisco, the 49ers ranked fourth in the league with 18.8 points allowed per game and ninth with slightly less than 320 total yards surrendered per game.
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