Just two days after their Super Bowl LVIII overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that he expects all of his coaches to be back in 2024. On Wednesday, Shanahan changed course.
Shanahan informed reporters that the 49ers were parting ways with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, per CBS Sports HQ senior NFL insider Josina Anderson. Shanahan said this was a tough decision, and that he didn't mention this earlier in the week because he wasn't sure which direction he would go at that point, per NFL Media. Shanahan also said Wilks' system didn't align with what San Francisco ran previously.
"It just ended up not being the right fit," Shanahan said.
Wilks spent one season as the 49ers' defensive leader, coming over from the Carolina Panthers, where he served as their defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach, and then interim head coach once Matt Rhule was relieved of his duties. In 2023, the 49ers finished with the No. 8 defense in the NFL (303.9 total yards allowed per game), and No. 3 scoring defense (17.5).
Despite having the No. 3 rush defense in the regular season, the 49ers allowed the most rushing yards per game (159.0) in a postseason by a team entering the Super Bowl since the 1966 Green Bay Packers. San Francisco allowed 130 rushing yards in the 25-22 loss to Kansas City, including 66 rushing yards to quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The 49ers defense allowed a game-winning, 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to Mahomes in overtime, where the Chiefs converted two third downs and a fourth-and-1 on their own 34-yard line. San Francisco's defense did pick off Mahomes for the first time since Christmas, but also surrendered 455 yards of total offense.
When Shanahan was asked about Wilks specifically on Tuesday, he said, "I haven't talked to anybody yet. So yeah, I expect all our coaches to be back," per NFL.com.
The 54-year-old Wilks has coached football for nearly three decades, working primarily on the defensive side of the ball with defensive backs. In 2018, he spent one year as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
