Report: 49ers request interview with former Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks

Tuesday may not have been a completely tough pill to swallow for Steve Wilks.

Following the introductory press conference of Frank Reich—the man Wilks lost out to in the Carolina Panthers’ head coaching search—we learned that the 53-year-old Charlotte native may have a new opportunity elsewhere. And that opportunity might be with one of the very best rosters in the NFL.

As first reported by Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the San Francisco 49ers have requested permission to interview Wilks—who technically remains under contract with the Panthers—for their defensive coordinator job.

#49ers requested permission to interview former #Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks for their expected defensive coordinator vacancy as the #Texans are zeroing in on hiring DeMeco Ryans as their next head coach, per a league source

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 31, 2023

The NFC West champions are anticipating the loss of their current defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who is likely to become the new head coach of the Houston Texans. Ryans’ group allowed the second-fewest yards and fewest amount of points during the 2022 campaign.

Those results were due in large part to a stacked defense, one Wilks (or any other candidate) would be lucky to take over. Oh, and the offense isn’t too bad either—right, Christian McCaffrey?