Kansas City Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt to interview for San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator job
The Kansas City Chiefs could soon lose a valued defensive assistant to their Super Bowl LVIII opponent. As first reported by NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt is set to interview for the team's vacant defensive coordinator position. Merritt just completed his fifth season as defensive backs coach in Kansas City and […]
The Kansas City Chiefs could soon lose a valued defensive assistant to their Super Bowl LVIII opponent.
As first reported by NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt is set to interview for the team's vacant defensive coordinator position. Merritt just completed his fifth season as defensive backs coach in Kansas City and has several decades of NFL experience.
Merritt's defensive backs are a major part of the reason the defensive coordinator job is even vacant in San Francisco. Former 49ers DC Steve Wilks was fired shortly after the loss to Kansas City in the Super Bowl.
Merritt joined Kansas City under Steve Spagnuolo in 2019 and has been coaching stars in the secondary ever since, whether we're talking about All-Pro's like Tyrann Mathieu or the team's "Fab Five" rookies in the 2022 NFL season. A seventh-round draft pick at linebacker by the Miami Dolphins, Merritt has a long coaching history in the NFL. He previously coached for the New York Jets, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals with roles coaching in the secondary or linebackers.
Will Merritt leave Kansas City for the 49ers DC job?
Merritt was asked about potential defensive coordinator opportunities back in January during the Chiefs' playoff run.
He told reporters that the decision wasn't fully his own, but that he and his wife had previously discussed that he would not pursue defensive coordinator opportunities until his kids were grown.
“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. 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 15-year-old and 17-year-old both attend Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Missouri. As much as this might be an interview for Merritt, the onus might fall on Kyle Shanahan and the brass in San Francisco to coax Merritt away before his kids graduate high school.
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