After the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, a move that shocked the NFL coaching community. Many believed that head coach Kyle Shanahan’s dismissal was a ploy to shift the focus away from his offense’s collapse at crucial moments. In a similar vein, Wilks’ dismissal swiftly shifted the conversation around the defeat away from the players’ ignorance of the overtime scoring regulations.
Many supporters were shocked by the decision, even though some supported the firing on the grounds of inadequate communication. Furthermore, a Hall of Fame safety used social media to inform prospective and existing NFL players and coaches that Wilks’ firing serves as an example of why he has decided not to pursue a coaching career.
Safety in the NFL Hall of Fame Calls Out San Francisco 49ers’ Decision to Fire LeRoy Butler Steve Wilks
LeRoy Butler, a former safety for the Green Bay Packers who played in several close playoff games against the 49ers, shared his opinions about Wilks’ dismissal on social media on Saturday night:
Why Was Steve Wilks Fired by the San Francisco 49ers?
NFL source Ian Rapoport claims that Wilks’ termination was not prompted by the 49ers’ Super Bowl defeat. Instead, it was a decision based on a number of events that occurred over the season and showed a lack of communication on that side of the ball. Even during the Super Bowl, a defensive blunder resulted in Shanahan having to burn a timeout.
ReachNorth Media’s Dontay Atkinson also provides an explanation of the firing:
“Steve Wilks didn’t get let go because he’s a bad coach. He didn’t get let go because of the Super Bowl. He didn’t get let go because he’s black. He didn’t get let go because he screwed up.
“He was let go because the front half of the defense wasn’t in synch with the back half. And it was like that frequently this season. This roster is too elite for that to continue.
Sometimes chemistry is just wrong. It’s not a judgment on Wilks. He’s an outstanding football mind. It just didn’t gel with this program.”
Remarkably, after losing to the 49ers in the divisional round, Butler’s last team, the Packers, fired defensive coordinator Joe Barry for the same reason San Francisco fired Wilks: a breakdown in communication. The main distinction, though, is that Barry had three years in Green Bay to work things out. Within the first season, Wilks was let go.