49ers are Noncommittal on DC Steve Wilks Returning

A potential coaching change may be in the midst for the San Francisco 49ers.

During his exit press conference on Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan was noncommittal on defensive coordinator Steve Wilks returning. Shanahan was asked two times about Wilks' status. The first question posed to him was "Is there any reason to think he won't be back next season?"

Here is how he answered it.

"That's stuff that we'll talk about as this week goes," said Shanahan. "We'll talk about a ton in the offseason. Where we want our team to be, our offense, our defense, our special teams, and that's a lot of conversations, a lot of film, a lot of personnel and salary cap thing we've got to discuss, drafts. We haven't even watched the game yet to tell you the truth."

Well that doesn't sound like Shanahan is committed to him at all. If he was, then he would've said it without question. Now, that answer doesn't necessarily mean that Wilks will be gone, but it at least means that his status is in the air. My gut feeling is that Wilks is gone. Shanahan micromanaged the defense on the final defensive series of the Super Bowl when he called a timeout. Clearly, he did not agree with the play call from Wilks.

"I didn't like the look they were in," said Shanahan. "And one of our players looked a little gassed. I didn't think I was going to use them all right there. So I thought it'd be a good time to use one.”

A lack of trust between Shanahan and Wilks is evident. That is why Shanahan remains noncommittal and why I don't believe he is going to retain the services of Wilks. Although, his next question about Wilks returning is a more direct one than the first. Shanahan was asked outright if "Steve Wilks will be back next year?"

His answer is a little different than the first.

“I haven't talked to anybody yet. So yeah, I expect all our coaches to be back.”

Well, there you have it. Wilks is returning right? Wrong. Shanahan is still noncommittal in his answers. If Shanahan knew Wilks was coming back for the 2024 season, then he would've said it instead of giving two vague answers. He doesn't once directly say Wilks' name in either of his two answers. How it looks to me is that Shanahan is waiting to conduct his exit meetings with his coaches.

That is when the status of Wilks will become clear, and since Shanahan gave a couple of noncommittal answers, I'd say that he is going to let Wilks go. He can't give that answer away at this moment since he hasn't spoken to him or anyone else yet. Quite a shame considering the 49ers' defense is why the team was even in that game in the first place. But when it mattered most, the defense couldn't buy a stop.

Regardless, if Wilks gets let go, it is not because of what happened in the Super Bowl. It will mean that it was a season-long issue Shanahan, and maybe the players, have had with him since the beginning.