The San Francisco 49ers wasted little time in firing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after the Super Bowl. As soon as Wilks was let go by the 49ers, the team almost just as quickly went after two of the best defensive minds in modern football history to replace him.
While San Francisco’s defense played well against the Kansas City Chiefs, there were frustrations with the unit throughout the seasons. From questionable decisions on the timing of blitzes to play-calls that forced timeouts, it became evident before Super Bowl LVIII that a change was on the horizon.
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Wilks was dismissed just days after coaching in the Super Bowl. While San Francisco was behind in the NFL coaching carousel, with a majority of defensive-coordinator vacancies filled, it reportedly went after Bill Belichick in addition to the coordinator it went against in the overtime loss.
According to Michael Silver of the San Franciso Chronicle, 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan reached out to Belichick during the team’s defensive coordinator search. Belichick and Kansas City Chiefs defensive play-caller Steve Spagnuolo were two of the big names San Francisco wanted.
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Kansas City made sure Spagnuolo never left the team. Three days after winning its second consecutive Lombardi Trophy, the Chiefs signed Spagnuolo to a multi-year deal before his contract expired. The team was likely well aware of San Francisco’s interest and ensured a departure wouldn’t happen.
As for Belichick, the legendary head coach was not interested in becoming a defensive coordinator. While the 49ers certainly knew it was a long shot, especially considering the level of roster control Belichick wanted from another NFL team to become head coach, San Francisco wanted to at least explore the possibility.
Instead, Shanahan promoted defensive passing game coordinator Nick Sorensen to defensive play-caller. While Sorensen will be the 49ers defensive coordinator in 2024, San Francisco also brought on Brandon Staley as assistant head coach.
