Coach the 49ers Fired Right After Season Finally Lands New Job
By Cem Yolbulan
Only a year after making the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers had a season from hell, finishing at the bottom of the NFC West with a 6-11 record. The disappointment naturally augured significant changes in the coaching staff, including bringing in Robert Saleh as the defensive coordinator and promoting Klay Kubiak to offensive coordinator.
One of the changes in Kyle Shanahan's staff was the firing of special teams coordinator Brian Schneider. After three seasons as the ST coordinator under Shanahan, Brian Schneider was let go after the 2024 campaign.
On Tuesday, CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported that the former Niners coach was joining the Washington Commanders as the assistant special teams coordinator.
The Commanders are hiring long-time special teams coordinator Brian Schneider as Washington's assistant special teams coordinator, source tells @NFLonCBS. Schneider was most recently with the 49ers, and he reunites with Dan Quinn after several years together in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/08QngqRhQp
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 4, 2025
Former 49ers Coach Brian Schneider Lands New Job With NFC Rival
Schneider is reportedly joining Dan Quinn's staff in Washington, with whom he worked in Seattle. Schneider was the Seahawks special teams coordinator from 2010 to 2020, winning a Super Bowl there. He will be working under Larry Izzo in Washington, who previously took over in Seattle from Schneider.
During his tenure in San Francisco, Schneider-led special teams finished 15th in schedule-adjusted DVOA in 2022, 25th in 2023, and 31st in 2024. The 49ers' kicking problems were a big talking point last season.
Jake Moody was one of the worst kickers in the NFL, missing ten of his 34 field goal attempts. The few games with Anders Carlson and Matthew Wright helped bring San Francisco's average up but they still ranked near the bottom in terms of kicking.
After Schneider's departure, the 49ers replaced him with Brant Boyer, an equally experienced special teams coach. The 53-year-old was previously with the New York Jets for nine seasons. Niners fans hope that the special teams take a significant step forward next season as they look to get back to the postseason.