San Francisco 49ers want to interview Chiefs assistant for defensive coordinator

The Kansas City Chiefs have had a somewhat insane amount of consistent leadership on the sidelines and in the front office, given that they have accomplished the near-impossible in the NFL by establishing a modern dynasty. However, if Dave Merritt is hired away this summer, the team may have to go without him in their quest for a third consecutive championship.
While the majority of the NFL’s 32 teams have reorganized their coaching staffs, certain significant roles remain unfilled, like the defensive coordinator post with the San Francisco 49ers.
According to NFL reporter Mike Garafolo, Merritt will interview for the DC position in San Francisco after the team fired Steve Wilks earlier this winter.

The Chiefs have worked hard to keep their coaching staff in-house, so Merritt has leverage in one way or another. Joe Cullen, the defensive line coach, just signed an extension, as did Spagnuolo. Andy Reid is also in line for an extension, according to speculations that surfaced earlier this week.

Merritt has been with the Chiefs since 2019, when Andy Reid replaced former defensive coordinator Bob Sutton with Steve Spagnuolo. Spags brought Merritt in to teach the team’s defensive backs alongside Sam Madison, and the results have been among the finest in the NFL. The Chiefs relied heavily on a young secondary to win their second consecutive Super Bowl in 2023.

Merritt is a five-time Super Bowl winner who spent time with the New York Giants and the Chiefs, so his experience and perspective alone give him more respect on the sidelines than most others. His track record of getting the most out of players like Charvarius Ward, L’Jarius Sneed, and Trent McDuffie is great, and he deserves to be promoted to coordinator.
Merritt spent his NFL career as a linebacker and was picked by the Miami Dolphins in 1993.