MAGNIFICENT: New 49ers Defensive Coordinator Set to be announced.

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.

Kyle Shanahan fired Steve Wilks as 49ers coach without knowing who his successor would be, and some around the league believe he will eventually hire Brandon Staley, the Rams’ defensive coordinator and current Chargers head coach. Staley was let go by the Chargers in 2023, after a loss to the Oakland Raiders on Thursday night. The Rams lost their defensive coordinator to the Atlanta Falcons, and Staley was interviewed for the job but not hired.

Shanahan and Staley have not worked together before. They met twice in 2020 when Shanahan ran the Rams’ defense, and they had one game together during Staley’s time as Chargers coach, which the 49ers won.

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.