Following the San Francisco 49ers loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, head coach Kyle Shanahan made the surprising decision to fire his defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks. The decision was a shock to many because the 49ers defense finished eighth in the NFL in terms of total yards allowed and third in points allowed per game. However, Shanahan claimed philosophical differences and poor communication were responsible for the loss and, therefore, cost Wilks his job.
The decision to fire Wilks, on top of being surprising, has turned out to be a rather unpopular one. Hall of Fame safety LeRoy Butler took to social media to express his frustration over the move and used it as an example of why coaches should not feel loyalty to anyone or any organization when it comes to the business of the NFL.
One recent report, too, sheds a concerning light on Wilks’ firing and how it follows a concerning trend in the NFL in regards to how African American coaches are treated in terms of employment equality.
Former San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks Got the Blame for Losing Super Bowl LVIII, Even Though He Shouldn’t Have
William C. Rhoden of Andscape recently published a powerful article that details how Wilks’ firing, and frankly all the times he has been fired or passed over in his career, illustrate the inequality that African American and other minority coaches still face today in the NFL:
“Wilks was fit enough to help take San Francisco to the Super Bowl a year after the 49ers were knocked out of the NFC title game. Wilks was fit enough to maintain the 49ers as one of the best defensive units in the NFL.
“I’m not sure what irks me the most: that the 54-year-old Wilks, respected around the league as an outstanding, no-nonsense defensive mind, had gotten yet another raw deal or that it was the 44-year-old Shanahan who fired him.
“Black coaches in the NFL historically have been on shorter leashes than their white coaching counterparts. Just this season, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, in an effort to explain the Eagles’ late-season collapse, fired his two Black coordinators. Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, credited with developing Jalen Hurts when he was the Eagles quarterback coach, was fired at the end of the season. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai was relieved of his playcalling duties midseason and was also fired after the season.”
The above instances are just from this year. However, as Rhoden points out, Wilks has been on the receiving end of several quick firings during the coarse of his coaching career. These include:
- One season as the Arizona Cardinals head coach (fired after a 3-13 record)
- One season as the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator (fired along with head coach Freddie Kitchens)
- After finishing 6-6 as interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Wilks was passed over in favor of Frank Reich
- Now fired after one year as the 49ers defensive coordinator despite having a top-10 defense
Now, Rhoden does start out his article by saying that players being cut and coaches being fired is the nature of the NFL. However, what is concerning is when minority coaches are not given the same chance to make a difference over the course of several seasons:
“According to an exhaustive 2022 investigation by the Washington Post, Black coaches face a narrower set of opportunities than their white counterparts to get top coaching jobs, have to serve longer as assistants, are more likely to get interim jobs than full-time jobs and are held to higher standards when it comes to keeping those jobs. According to the Post, from 1990 until 2022, Black coaches, ‘have been twice as likely as others to be fired after leading a team to a regular-season record of .500 or better.’
“Shanahan knows little about that kind of grind. As the son of former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan, Kyle was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had to stand in line, but the line he stood in was much shorter.
“Kyle Shanahan was 29 years old when he got his first offensive coordinator’s job.
“Wilks didn’t get his first job as a coordinator until he was 48.”
Examples of White Coaches in the NFL Getting Chances Steve Wilks Did Not
To indicate how concerning Wilks’ treatment by several NFL teams has been over the past few seasons, let’s take a look back at his most recent “one-and-done” stops along with similar examples of other coaches and other teams:
- One season as the Arizona Cardinals head coach (fired after a 3-13 record); the Detroit Lions went 3-13 in Dan Campbell’s first season as head coach; they just lost to Wilks’ 49ers defense in the NFC Championship game.
- One season as the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator (fired along with head coach Freddie Kitchens); when Mike McCarthy was fired as head coach of the Green Bay Packers, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was allowed to stay on staff.
- After finishing 6-6 as interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Wilks was passed over in favor of Frank Reich; Doug Marrone was hired as the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach after serving as their interim head coach (he was 1-1 as interim coach)
- Now fired after one year as the 49ers defensive coordinator despite having a top-10 defense; Joe Barry had three-straight years of coaching defenses that ranked near the bottom of the NFL in Green Bay before being fired.
As Rhoden also notes, the 49ers have a good history of hiring minority head coaches. Due to this fact, it is not likely that Wilks was fired because he is Black.
However, it still continues the pattern of minority coaches getting shorter leashes than white coaches. And that is troubling.
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