The fallout from the San Francisco 49ers’ Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs has already begun. On Wednesday, the 49ers announced that they have fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
Wilks is leaving the 49ers after spending just one year with the organization. The former Arizona Cardinals head coach was brought in as a replacement for DeMeco Ryans ahead of the 2023 season.
The 49ers’ head coach, Kyle Shanahan, confirmed the news about Wilks’ departure during a news conference. According to Shanahan, Wilks wasn’t “the right fit.”
“We felt pretty strongly that this was the decision that was best for our organization,” Shanahan added. “Even though it was one I didn’t want to make, it was something that once I realized that a different direction was what’s best for our organization, it’s something that I have to do.”
Under Wilks, the 49ers defense ranked eighth in the league with 303.9 yards allowed per game and third in points per game allowed with 17.5 during the regular season. San Francisco also allowed just 31 touchdowns, second-least in the NFL behind the Baltimore Ravens. However, many believed that the defensive unit took a step back after ranking first in multiple categories in 2023.
Wilks received criticism for the way the 49ers played on defense during the Super Bowl. Defensive end Nick Bosa said that the team wasn’t prepared for the running options by Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, while Shanahan decided to use a timeout in overtime because he didn’t like one defensive call by Wilks.
