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In case there wasn’t enough action going on around the 49ers as they lick their wounds in the wake of Super Bowl 58 and prepare for what should be a busy offseason—with an apparently disgruntled Brandon Aiyuk on hand, and holes to fill on the offensive and defensive fronts—coach Kyle Shanahan went ahead and fired the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks.
But if they’re looking for a big-timer to replace him, one idea is being bandied about as a realistic possibility: recently deposed Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who would be getting back to his roots if he took the job. Carroll was 49ers defensive coordinator in 1995 and 96, when San Francisco ranked second and fourth in points allowed.
The possibility of a Carroll return was raised at The Athletic by beat writer Matt Barrows: “This makes too much sense. Carroll was born in San Francisco and he’d get a chance to play his former team twice a year (and face Jim Harbaugh in the preseason!). And if Shanahan’s looking for continuity on defense? Well, the scheme the 49ers have used in recent years is based on the aggressive defense Carroll ran when he was San Francisco’s coordinator in 1995-96.”
49ers Defensive Coordinator Was Not the Right Fit for Steve Wilks
Of course, we do not know for sure what Shanahan is looking for in a new coordinator, only that he was not entirely happy with the defensive choices that came from Wilks. In fairness to Wilks, it was something of an impossible job, coming in to coach a talented defense as an outsider on a team that has thrived in the last couple of years on continuity.
Wilks never really got to implement the style he might have wanted to play, and never got complete buy-in from his players.
“That was the hardest part,” Shanahan said, per the 49ers website. “I knew that was a challenge. It was tough. It was real tough losing [Houston Texans head coach] DeMeco [Ryans], it was tough losing [New York Jets head coach Robert] Saleh the year before. But we had committed to not just the system, but the players that had been in the system from our D-Line our linebackers. They had played in it for such a long time.
“So it was my goal to not have to change all of them. And bringing in Steve who was unbelievable and how loyal he was and him trying to do it, but it just ended up not being the right fit.”
Pete Carroll Designed the San Francisco D
As for Carroll, he certainly has the resume when it comes to taking over the job. He is one of the best-liked coaches in the league, and as Barrows referenced, he knows the system. He also has done some winning in the NFL, with a record of 170-120 as a head coach and a Super Bowl championship to his credit.
Barrows was not alone suggesting Carroll for the job. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio echoed the sentiment.
“Wouldn’t it be something—I’d call him, I’d call Pete Carroll,” Florio said on the “PFT Podcast.” “You want someone to run the Seattle defense, how about the godfather of it? Bring him in. Wouldn’t that be something? If I’m Pete Carroll, and I wanted to remain the coach of the Seahawks, hell yeah, I’ll go coach the 49ers defense. …
“This is something that would be a blast, to see Pete Carroll running the San Francisco defense.”
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