DONE DEAL: One of panthers staff was fire today by San Francisco 49ers.
San Francisco fired Steve Wilks, the former coach of the Panthers.
Steve Wilks was fired by the San Francisco 49ers just over a year after receiving his walking papers from the Carolina Panthers. The announcement was made by head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday afternoon at a press conference. Change is unavoidable when a team loses the Super Bowl. Usually, this shift results from rival teams stealing coordinators and position coaches for roles that offer opportunities for career advancement. Sadly, Wilks will have to hunt for work now that he is in San Francisco.
The 49ers defense finished among the top five in terms of points allowed and DVOA as the interim head coach of the former Panthers. Although San Francisco has a strong defense up front, Wilks did a fantastic job of planning around injuries at important positions. During the previous offseason, Wilks received calls from both fans and former players for his promotion to full-time head coach in Carolina.
Following Matt Rhule’s midseason ouster, Charlotte native Wilks took over and guided the Panthers to a 6-6 record and a virtual postseason berth. Frank Reich, who was sacked halfway through his first season in Carolina, was hired by Carolina in an attempt to replace Wilks.
It would be stunning if Wilks doesn’t find success sooner rather than later as he will be in high demand throughout the league for a variety of jobs.
