Would Wilks bring any assistants with him?
The San Francisco 49ers will have other teams call for their coaching staff members. It happens every year. Assistant General Manager Adam Peters is interviewing with the Washington Commanders on Tuesday.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that the Los Angeles Chargers requested to interview 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks for their vacant head coaching job Monday evening. Some thought Wilks would be named the Carolina Panthers head coach after leading them to a .500 record as the interim head coach.
The 49ers defense only allowed one opponent to score more than three touchdowns after the bye week. For a coach who didn’t bring any of his assistants with him, Wilks has done a masterful job this season with the Niners.
When we discuss head coaching candidates, play-calling is the first thing that gets brought up, but being a head coach is far more than Xs and Os. You’re more of a CEO in charge of the annoying administration tasks that coordinators don’t have to deal with.
Wilks has shown he has the leadership and organizational skills to be a head coach. His message has gotten through to the 49ers defense like it worked with Carolina a season ago. If you’re a team needing a strong voice, Wilks is the ideal candidate.
Since Wilks has previous head coaching experience, the 49ers may not have the luxury of having him for multiple seasons. There are currently six job openings in the NFL for head coach, and there may be more by the end of the week. We usually get a few retreads each cycle. It’d be easy for a team to poach a staff member with the best record in the NFL.
The Niners may get lucky if Wilks doesn’t bring any assistants, but he was also here for a year and certainly built relationships with the defensive staff. That would be a worry if you’re Shanahan.
We will see if other teams come calling for Wilks as they do for Peters. It’s a copycat league, and the 49ers were once again among the best teams in the NFL. It’ll be this way as long as they continue to be successful.
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