Kyle Shanahan changes mind as 49ers fire coach just days after Super Bowl
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed he dismissed defensive coordinator Steve Wilks following Super Bowl LVIII - despite suggesting he expected all staff to return for 2024.
On Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the 49ers 25-22 in the Super Bowl to clinch a third win in five years. Patrick Mahomes was the star of the show, throwing for 333 yards and two touchdowns as he was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time in his career.
The defeat adds to Shanahan's Super Bowl woes. He has now lost two Super Bowls as a head coach, both times to the Chiefs while was also the offensive coordinator when the Atlanta Falcons lost to the New England Patriots in the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.
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Shanahan is already making changes to his team, just three days after the game in Las Vegas. He decided to let go of Wilks, who had only been hired a year ago to replace DeMeco Ryans after he became the head coach of the Houston Texans.
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During a conference call, Shanahan announced: “This morning I relieved Steve Wilks of his duties. [We're] going to end up making a change here at defensive coordinator. A really tough decision, because [it] really says nothing about Steve as a man or as a football coach. I mean, he's exactly what we wanted as a man. He is a great football coach.
“But just where we're going and where we're at with our team from a scheme standpoint and things like that, looking through it all throughout the year to these last few days, I felt pretty strongly that this was a decision that was best for the organization.”
While Shanahan had previously said he expected all coaches to return, letting go of Wilks shows he's ready to make big changes. The 44-year-old wants to win the Super Bowl with the 49ers next season to end a 30-year drought for the iconic franchise.
Kyle Shanahan's 49ers came agonisingly close to winning a first Super Bowl since 1995 (Getty Images)Shanahan explained that the 49ers defense needs a new way of doing things, and a fresh defensive coordinator could help the team get better in 2024. Wilks had a lot of pressure to success given the 49ers have many star players on defense, but it appears he didn't meet those high standards.
After a strong 2022 under the guidance of Ryans, the 49ers endured a minor wobble under Wilks but still managed to finish in the top three for points allowed this past season. However, they did have trouble stopping the run in the playoffs with the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Chiefs each averaging 5.1 yards per carry - but Shanahan admitted he wanted Wilks to stick with the same plan that Ryans and current New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh used before.
Wilks isn't the only one leaving Shanahan's team. Assistant defensive line coach Darryl Tapp has moved to become the Washington Commanders' defensive line coach, while the offense has taken a hit. Pass-game coordinator Klint Kubiak has left to become the New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator, and assistant offensive line coach James Cregg has joined the Las Vegas Raiders as offensive line coach.
Also, assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn has joined Tapp in Washington, taking up an offer to become the new Commanders run-game coordinator. It looks like there could be more changes on the way in the Bay Area.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
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