FLOWERY BRANCH, Georgia The Atlanta Falcons announced on Saturday that they have conducted a virtual interview with Steve Wilks for the post of head coach.
Mike Macdonald and Brian Callahan have previously been interviewed by the Falcons.
Interviews with personnel from other clubs are required by NFL protocol to be performed virtually before the completion of Divisional Playoff games on Sunday, Jan. 21. Virtual interviews must be done prior to the completion of Wild Card games if the employer club has a Wild Card bye. Virtual interviews may begin three days after the employer club’s Wild Card game and must be completed prior to the conclusion of Divisional Playoff games if the employer club is a Wild Card participant.
Beginning Monday, Jan. 22, clubs may conduct in-person or virtual interviews with candidates employed by other NFL clubs whose seasons have ended, but they are not permitted to conduct initial interviews with candidates employed by clubs participating in the Conference Championship Games until the employer club’s season has ended.
Let’s discover more about the candidate the Falcons are evaluating for the position of 19th head coach in franchise history.
Date of interview: Saturday, January 13
Current position: defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers
Highlights from my resume:
Wilks worked with the Carolina Panthers from 2012 to 2017, serving as defensive backs coach (2012–2014), assistant head coach and defensive backs coach (2015–2016), and associate head coach and defensive coordinator (2017).
He was the Cardinals’ head coach for one season in 2018.
Carolina Panthers, 2022 (second stint): He began the season as the Panthers’ defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach before serving as the Panthers’ interim head coach for the final six games.
Wilks is no stranger to the NFC South or the Atlanta Falcons organization, having spent seven years with the Carolina Panthers. He has a peripheral understanding of recent organizational history and workings as an opposing coach who meets the squad twice a year.
Why he’s a candidate: Wilks is a well-known defensive-forward coach with over 15 years of NFL experience. He was a prominent candidate for a head coaching job during several of the peak seasons of the coaching carousel in recent years, particularly after taking over as the Panthers interim head coach in October 2022.
With Wilks as interim head coach, the Panthers finished the season 6-6, moving up in the divisional standings to tie for second in the NFC South after opening the season 1-4.
Wilks has lately had tremendous success with the 49ers, who have a defence that ranks third in scoring defence and in the top ten in yards allowed and defensive takeaways per game.
Strikes against: Although Wilks has served as an assistant head coach and, later, interim head coach with the Panthers, he has only served as a genuine head coach once. In 2018, Wilks was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals finished 3-13 in that one season. According to Pro Football Reference, the Cardinals had their lowest record since 2000. Wilks was released by the Cardinals on December 31, 2018.
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