Source: Sorensen won’t return as 49ers DC; team hopes to retain him

Source: Sorensen won’t return as 49ers DC; team hopes to retain him originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Nick Sorensen will not return as 49ers defensive coordinator, a league source told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco on Tuesday night.

However, the 49ers believe Sorensen is a good coach, and head coach Kyle Shanahan is looking for a way to retain Sorensen on his staff, the source said.

The 49ers promoted Sorensen to defensive coordinator a year ago following the firing of Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator after one season.

Now, the 49ers should have plenty of options to replace Sorensen with an experienced defensive coordinator.

Sorensen’s unit allowed a combined 87 points in the final two 2024 regular-season games.

With expectations of a fourth consecutive deep NFL playoff run, the 49ers fell well short of their goals, finishing with a 6-11 record, good for last place in the NFC West.

In 2025, the 49ers will have their fourth different defensive coordinator in four years after DeMeco Ryans took the Houston Texans’ head coach job after the 2022 season and Wilks was fired a year ago.

Shanahan recently expressed confidence in Sorensen, the man running the defense, but the final two games altered his opinion.

“I think Nick has done a good job as a coach,” Shanahan said on Dec. 28. “No one’s happy with our results by any means. I’ve watched him adjust to a bunch of different situations, on a couple [of] games when there wasn’t much of an answer, and he still had to try to find one.

“So, I think this year was good for him. I know he is going to be a good coach and better for it going forward.”

Sorensen was dealt a challenging hand in his first season as a coordinator, but now his opportunity to improve will happen with another franchise.

Sorensen led a defense that was without several star players throughout the season, including defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga. The defense, once known for its stinginess against the run, allowed 140 or more rushing yards in each of the final four games of the season.

A defense unit that recorded 28 takeaways (tied for fourth in the NFL) in 2023, only managed to force 17 turnovers this past season — the sixth-fewest in the league.

After the 49ers’ 47-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals to close out the season, linebacker Fred Warner said the players should shoulder some of the blame for the embarrassing season.

“The easy thing right now is everyone is going to put the blame on him for how the defense has played,” Warner said. “And when you’re the guy at the helm, that’s what happens — you’re going to take the brunt of that. But it’s everybody.”

Edge rusher Nick Bosa, who notched nine sacks this season, the lowest total since his rookie season, decidedly was more neutral about whether Sorensen is the right man for the job.

“He’s a good coach,” Bosa said. “But that’s not my decision.”

Shanahan has a few familiar options who could be candidates to lead the 49ers’ defense in 2025, including former San Francisco linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, who most recently was the New York Jets’ interim head coach.

Robert Saleh, who previously held the defensive coordinator position for the 49ers from 2017-2020, is another option after the Jets relieved him of his head coaching duties on Oct. 8.

The Indianapolis Colts recently parted ways with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who was of interest to Shanahan before he gave Sorensen the job in 2024.

The 49ers also reportedly fired special teams coordinator Brian Schneider on Monday. If Sorensen chooses to remain with the organization, he could be a candidate to take over in that role.

Sorensen was assistant special teams coach for three years with the Seattle Seahawks (2013-15). He was special teams coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021.

Shanahan and president of football operations/general manager John Lynch will explain their decision to fire Sorensen and Schneider when they speak to local media later in the week.

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