The 49ers made Nick Sorensen a one-and-done defensive coordinator, and a key reason behind it may shock you.
The San Francisco 49ers made a not-so-surprising move in the days following their 2024 campaign that concluded with a 6-11 record and last-place finish within the NFC West.
Two days after dismissing special teams coordinator Brian Schneider, head coach Kyle Shanahan opted to part ways with his defensive coordinator, too, Nick Sorensen.
Sorensen, who was something of a surprise promotion entering 2024 after the Niners fired their coordinator from the previous season, Steve Wilks, inherited an elite defense but came in with no coordinating experience. San Francisco hoped that elite defense, along with hiring former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as an assistant, would aid Sorensen with his learning curve.
But, as the end results displayed, no such luck happened.
Granted, a swarm of injuries plagued the 49ers over the course of 2024, making Sorensen's task much more difficult. However, the first-year coordinator largely failed to adjust, and the Niners ended up allowing the fourth-most points in the league by season's end, including a three-game stretch to close out the year in which they gave up 116 points.
Someone had to bear the responsibility, and that someone was Sorensen.
However, as the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch revealed on the Wednesday morning after Sorensen's firing, the numbers aren't the only reason why the inexperienced coordinator was let go.
There are other, bigger reasons.
49ers' defensive leaders wouldn't endorse Nick Sorensen
While the nature of players' exit interviews remains unknown, it's pretty clear a number of defensive leaders weren't overly thrilled with how Sorensen handled duties during 2024.
Two of those, defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner, didn't exactly give open endorsements for the coordinator in interviews with Branch and others of the press.
Bosa's words, from Branch:
"Bosa said he felt 'embarrassment' about 'the product that we kept putting out.' Asked about Sorensen, he only offered that he was a 'good coach,' but 'it’s not my decision.'"
It'd be one thing if Bosa spoke more to how Sorensen regularly put the defense in good situations, only the lack of execution doomed that side of the ball.
Instead, Bosa's words didn't seem to give Sorensen the endorsement needed to continue into year two.
Warner, meanwhile, gave Sorensen credit where it was due but fell short of saying he should be back:
"As a coach, you have to be the one to hold the players accountable. I felt like he did that. It’s his first season. He’s obviously got to look back and see where he could have been better in his role."
The All-Pro linebacker isn't one to actively throw coaches under the bus. But, all one has to do is look back at how he openly backed two of the 49ers' previous coordinators under Shanahan, Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans, when they came under scrutiny early in their respective tenures to see there's a difference in tone.
As Branch concluded, both Bosa and Warner "declined to give Nick Sorenen a full-throated backing."
Shanahan had to act, plain and simple.