49ers interview man who helped crush their Super Bowl dreams

The San Francisco 49ers lost Super Bowl 58 in part because of the quality play of the Kansas City Chiefs' defensive backs. Now they are interviewing the man who coaches that group.

Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the 49ers are interviewing Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt for their vacant defensive coordinator position. Steve Wilks was fired by the Niners after their 25-22 overtime loss to Kansas City.

Merritt follows former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, 49ers defensive passing game specialist/nickels coach Nick Sorensen and San Francisco's defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks as confirmed interviewees.

The Chiefs' defensive backs coach since 2019, Merritt has been in the coaching ranks in the NFL since 2001, when he was hired as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the New York Jets. He eventually switched to the New York Giants in 2004, spending 12 seasons (2006-2017) as the secondary coach and safeties coach before a one-season spell as the Arizona Cardinals defensive backs coach under then head coach Wilks in 2018.

Merritt's value to the Chiefs was illustrated by the way in which their defensive backs plastered the 49ers' star-studded group of pass-catchers in the Super Bowl, Kansas City consistently frustrating San Francisco with superb man coverage that forced tight window throws, with Trent McDuffie in particular doing an excellent job of preventing potential big plays.

For Merritt, who has five children aged 33, 27, 25, 17 and 15, the decision to accept any potential job offer will be a case of timing.

"One of the things my wife Yolanda and I discussed years ago, was that I was not going to pursue any type of coordinating job while my kids were young," Merritt said at a press conference back in January. 

"I wanted to be there for Friday night games. I wanted to be there on Saturday if I could to go to some games. You can ask my wife Yolanda, she’ll tell you the same thing. When that time arrives, if I’m afforded a position to be able to even go and interview, I will consult with my wife and then we will take the next step. Right now, I’m focused on trying to be the best defensive coach I can be for my guys. 

"A lot of guys think the grass is greener on the other side and then all of the sudden, you can go chase the money. I’ve told my young coaches around me that you want years of service. Money is going to come and go, it’s fleeting. Honestly, you take that chair as a coordinator and you’re responsible for the entire unit and now some of your closeness goes away. That bond that I’ve had with my players is precious to me and I don’t want to lose that right now.”

Merritt's ability to build a bond with his players will be a point in his favor with the 49ers. Though Wilks did an excellent job with the secondary, there were issues in communication with the linebackers during the 2023 season and defensive end Nick Bosa was lukewarm in his assessment of Wilks following the campaign.

While Merritt also comes from a background of coaching defensive backs, he was a linebacker as a player and coached defensive line at the Virginia Military Institute in the early days of his coaching career.

In other words, he is a coach who has worked with every level of the defense and should be able to build a connection with the linebacker room, which is the heartbeat of the 49er defense.

The 49ers won't want to spend much longer thinking about their Super Bowl agony, but Merritt ticks a lot of boxes, so the best course of action at defensive coordinator may well be to hire the man who helped orchestrate their pain.