Getty Image / Keith Birmingham
Kyle Shanahan knows what it feels like to be in the midst of a media firestorm. The San Francisco 49ers coach has come under major fire following the team’s Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, 25-22 (OT).
Shanahan fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Wednesday in a move that few saw coming. Now, he needs a replacement, and he could be hiring another coach that knows what criticism feels like in former Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley.
That’s according to Pro Football Talk.
Few believe that 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks without having an idea as to the identity of his successor. Some around the league think Shanahan will eventually hire former Rams defensive coordinator and Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.
Staley was fired by the Chargers during the 2023 season, after a Thursday night blowout loss to the Raiders. When the Rams lost defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to the Falcons as head coach, Staley was considered but not hired to return to the Rams.
Staley and Shanahan have not previously worked together. They squared off twice in 2020, when Staley ran the Rams’ defense. They had one game against each other during Staley’s time as coach of the Chargers. The 49ers won all three of the games with Staley as defensive coordinator or head coach.
This would be quite the hire, though I’m not sure that it would necessarily be a bad one. People will definitely criticize it, though.
Brandon Staley was absolutely a failure as a head coach in Los Angeles for the Chargers. Despite having a very talented roster and a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert, he made the playoffs just once. In that game, Los Angeles blew a 27-0 lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars and lost.
But, most of the criticism Staley received was due to questionable in-game decision-making that some felt was simply too aggressive. He was a pretty respected defensive mind when he served as the defensive coordinator for the Rams under Sean McVay. It could be interesting to see how he does after his head coaching stint when he doesn’t have to worry about game management.