49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said at a Tuesday press conference that he expected all of the team’s coaches, including defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, back for the 2024 season, but Wednesday brought very different news about Wilks’ future with the NFC West club.
At the start of a hastily scheduled conference call on Wednesday afternoon, Shanahan told reporters that Wilks has been dismissed after one year in the job. Wilks was hired after DeMeco Ryans left the team to become the Texans head coach last year.
The 49ers were third in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed during the regular season, but they had less success holding offenses in check in the postseason and Shanahan said that he didn’t feel Wilks was ultimately the right fit for what the team wants to do defensively.
Shanahan said the team will consider in-house and external candidates to take over as the new coordinator in a major shakeup for the NFC champions as they head into the offseason.