The 49ers may have to add a defensive coordinator search to their offseason docket for the second time in the last two years. NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo on Monday reported the Chargers have requested to interview San Francisco’s defensive coordinator Steve Wilks for their head coach opening.
Los Angeles fired head coach Brandon Staley after the team’s 5-9 start this year, putting them in the market to make a hire at the position.
For Wilks it would be his second opportunity to be a head coach after a disastrous first stint with the Cardinals that saw him fired after only one season.
San Francisco’s defense this season in its first under Wilks ranked No. 3 in points and No. 8 in yards. They also finished No. 4 in defensive DVOA.
His work as the Panthers interim head coach in 2022, followed by the job he did with the 49ers’ defense in 2023 certainly make him an intriguing candidate for another shot at being a head coach at the highest level.
If Wilks is hired by the Chargers, the 49ers wouldn’t get a compensatory third-round selection because he’s only been with the organization for one year, which puts him shy of the two-season threshold for the team to recoup third-round choices for losing minority coaches/front office members to head coach/general manager jobs.
