Nobody in the NFL is better at doing his job well and then getting fired like Steve Wilks. San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Wednesday that Wilks would not be returning in 2024, despite being the defensive coordinator that helped get the team to the Super Bowl.
Steve Wilks didn’t deserve to be Kyle Shanahan’s Super Bowl scapegoat
Steve Wilks didn’t lose the 49ers the Super Bowl, but he’s the one out of a job.
Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
It’s the latest chapter in Wilks’ sad path through the NFL where he’s continually made to be the fall guy for someone else’s issues. The official line being touted by San Francisco is that Wilks lacked familiarity with the 49ers scheme, that he didn’t coach defense the way Shanahan prefers, and that ultimately he wasn’t the “right fit.” A report by the San Francisco Chronicle notes that key moments in San Francisco’s postseason run sealed Wilks’ fate as defensive coordinator.
That doesn’t stop this being a garbage move.
Let’s distill the 49ers’ loss in the Super Bowl to a few decisions and see what was on Steve Wilks.
- Wilks didn’t choose to abandon the run in the third quarter
- Wilks didn’t muff a punt and give Kansas City possession on the 16
- Wilks didn’t blow protection on a critical Brock Purdy pass
- Wilks didn’t decide to get the ball first in overtime
- Wilks didn’t injure one of his best defensive players
The 49ers defense did more than enough to win the Super Bowl. They held the Chiefs to six points with under three minutes left in the third quarter. They did this despite being forced onto the field for a majority of the quarter because of multiple Niners’ three-and-out drives.
Wilks had the seemingly-impossible job of coming in as an outsider, adjusting to a job that has had continuity for years under Robert Saleh, and then DeMeco Ryans — and he managed to hold it all together and still maintain one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Now Wilks is out of a job at the worst possible time, with the bulk of teams already hiring their defensive coordinators for 2024. Being blamed for others’ mistakes and under-appreciated is part of the Steve Wilks experience, really since he’s elevated above a position coach in the NFL.
Arizona Cardinals, 2018
Wilks is hired as head coach after cementing himself as one of the top defensive coordinators in the NFL with the Panthers. General manager Steve Keim decides he’s going to find the team’s quarterback of the future and goes all-in on Josh Rosen, trading up — before pressuring Wilks to start him as a rookie.
It’s a disaster, and after a 3-13 season Wilks is fired just one year into his tenure, so the team can hire Kliff Kingsbury and draft a quarterback again.
Cleveland Browns, 2019
Wilks accepts a job as defensive coordinator of the Browns. He assembles some strong building blocks on his side of the ball, lifting the Cleveland defense from 30th in the NFL to 20th in one season — but is fired when the team axes head coach Freddie Kitchens.
Carolina Panthers, 2022
After some time away from the NFL, Wilks returns to accept a role as defensive coordinator under Matt Rhule. The head coach is fired midway through the season, and Wilks is given the job as interim head coach.
Under Wilks, the Panthers go 6-6 and fight for a playoff spot until the last week of the season. After the year is done the team elects to hire Frank Reich as head coach, and Wilks isn’t even given the opportunity to continue as defensive coordinator.
Now history has repeated in San Francisco
Was Steve Wilks perfect with the 49ers? No. Can any coach entering an established system and have to adjust to their identity be perfect immediately? No.
The truth remains that Wilks came in and bailed out the 49ers when they really needed a top-flight defensive coordinator. Wilks was one of the most coveted defensive coordinators on the market last season, and picked the 49ers as a chance to elevate his statue and career, perhaps finally being considered for a head coaching job once more.
Instead he’s now been fired, made the scapegoat for the Super Bowl loss, and it’s all unfair.
It’s one thing to question this move and say “Shanahan better know what he’s doing,” but that doesn’t do anything for Steve Wilks. He’s the man out of a job right now for very thin reasoning that’s tantamount to “he didn’t do everything exactly how I wanted.” Sure, that’s Shanahan’s prerogative as coach — but it’s also tacitly unfair to kick a guy to the curb wh was doing a solid job.
Of course, this is Steve Wilks and it’s all too familiar for him. The man just keeps getting screwed over by the NFL.
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