No one in the NFL is better at getting fired after doing his job better than Steve Wilkes. san francisco 49ers Manager Kyle Shanahan announced Wednesday that Wilkes will not return in 2024, despite helping the team reach the Super Bowl as defensive coordinator.
This is the latest chapter in Wilks’ sad journey in the NFL, where he continues to be blamed for other people’s problems. The official argument promoted by San Francisco is that Wilkes was not familiar with the 49ers’ scheme, did not coach the defense the way Shanahan preferred, and ultimately was not the “right fit.” A San Francisco Chronicle report notes that a key moment in San Francisco’s postseason sealed Wilks’ fate as defensive coordinator..
That doesn’t stop this from being a garbage move.
Let’s boil down the 49ers’ loss in the Super Bowl into some decisions and look at what happened to Steve Wilkes.
- Wilkes chose not to give up any runs in the third quarter.
- Wilkes didn’t kill the punt and didn’t let Kansas City keep the ball in the 16th inning.
- Wilkes didn’t fly protection on important Brock Purdy pass.
- Wilkes did not decide to get the ball first in overtime.
- Wilkes kept one of his best defensive players injured.
The 49ers’ defense did more than enough to win the Super Bowl. With less than three minutes left in the third quarter, they held the Chiefs to six points. They accomplished this despite the Niners’ multiple three-and-out drives forcing them to be on the field for much of the quarter.
Wilkes had the seemingly impossible task of coming in as an outsider and adapting to a job he’d continued for years under Robert Saleh and then DeMeco Lyons — and he managed to do it all. summarize, still They maintain one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Now, Wilkes is out of work at the worst possible time, with most teams already hiring defensive coordinators for 2024. Being blamed for other people’s mistakes and being underestimated is part of Steve Wilkes’ experience, in fact, he’s more than a top position coach in the NFL.
Wilkes was hired as head coach after establishing himself as one of the NFL’s top defensive coordinators with the Panthers. General manager Steve Keim, determined to find the team’s quarterback of the future, went all in on Josh Rosen, traded up, and then pressured Wilkes to start as a rookie.
It would be a disaster, and after a 3-13 season, Wilkes would be fired after just one year in office, so the team could hire Kliff Kingsbury and draft a quarterback again.
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Wilkes will accept the job as the Browns’ defensive coordinator. He assembled some strong building blocks on his side of the ball and pushed Cleveland’s defense from 30th to 20th in the NFL in one season, but the team fired head coach Freddie Kitchens. I was fired.
After some time away from the NFL, Wilkes returned to assume the role of defensive coordinator under Matt Rhule. The head coach was fired midway through the season and Wilkes was given the job as interim head coach.
Under coach Wilkes, the Panthers are 6-6 and will compete for a playoff spot until the final week of the season. After the season, the team elected to hire Frank Reich as head coach, but Wilkes was not even given the opportunity to continue as defensive coordinator.
History is repeating itself in San Francisco
Was Steve Wilkes perfect for the 49ers? No. Can a coach who comes into an established system and has to adapt to his own identity become perfect right away?
The truth is Wilkes came in and the 49ers saved them. Really They needed a top-level defensive coordinator. Wilkes was one of the most coveted defensive coordinators on the market last season, chose the 49ers as an opportunity to advance his image and career, and perhaps he may finally be considered for a head coaching job again. do not have.
Instead, he’s now been fired and 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 it doesn’t help Steve Wilkes. He is currently losing his job for a very flimsy reason that amounts to “he didn’t do everything the way I wanted.” Sure, that’s Shanahan’s prerogative as a coach, but it’s also implicitly unfair to kick a player to the curb who has been doing a solid job.
Of course, this is Steve Wilkes, and he’s all too familiar. This guy keeps getting screwed over by the NFL.
