Katie Sowers made history as one of the NFL’s first full-time female coaches, and as its first openly gay coach, but she won’t be back with the 49ers next year. Sowers is parting ways with San Francisco, she announced on Instagram. “Dear Faithful,
We have been through so much together over the last 4 years and words will never express how much your love and acceptance meant to me. I will forever cherish the memories and hearing your stories throughout the years. Together, we made a difference in this world. You were there every step of the way..from my first day at Levi’s , to the super bowl, and even when my Dad passed away. You all supported me through it all. Change is inevitable in this life.. enjoy every minute and cherish the memories because time will pass you by faster than you know. One last walk out of the tunnel. I am forever grateful for my time in SF… until we meet again,” she wrote.
Sowers became the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl last year. She’s been a full-time offensive assistant on Kyle Shanahan’s staff the past few seasons. It doesn’t sound like she has any plans to stop coaching though, and she said in a recent interview with Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle that the lack of a clear path upward was the reason for her departure. “In terms of advancement opportunities, there are more other places than here, in terms of my ceiling for growth. I feel like I have a lot to offer. It’s been an amazing learning experience here, but instead of staying as is, it’s best for my professional growth if I move on.” That doesn’t mean it was a bitter divorce with the 49ers however, as Sowers emphasized that she “loved” her time there.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Sowers might not be the only staff member Shanahan needs to replace if defensive coordinator Robert Saleh lands a head coaching job. Should one of the handful of teams interviewing Saleh offer him the gig, it sounds like the 49ers could look in-house for his replacement. Linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans is a candidate for the DC role should that happen, Shanahan said at his year-end press conference. Shanahan also added that “it’s a matter of time before DeMeco is coordinator in this league, a matter of time before he’s a head coach.” Ryans played as a linebacker for ten years in the league with the Texans and Eagles before retiring and joining the 49ers as a quality control coach in 2017.
- The Cardinals are keeping Kliff Kingsbury, but his staff isn’t remaining entirely intact. The team is letting receivers coach David Raih go, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. Raih spent the past two years in Arizona after previously serving the same role in Green Bay.
- The Cardinals also have a bigger decision ahead of them, what to do with star cornerback Patrick Peterson. Peterson is set to be a free agent this spring, and he recently acknowledged he might’ve played his last down in the desert. “Everything is going to take care of itself. I’ve done all I can to present that I would love to be here. But at the end of the day, it’s up to (the Cardinals),” Peterson said, via Darren Urban of the team’s official site (Twitter link). Peterson also said the potential salary cap drop due to COVID-19 could play a role in where he lands this offseason. Drafted fifth overall by Arizona back in 2011, Peterson has become a franchise icon over the past ten seasons. He’s made eight Pro Bowls and earned three first-team All-Pro selections, but he hasn’t been as good the past couple of years and is now on the wrong side of 30. It’ll be very interesting to see what his market looks like come March.
“…we made a difference in this world.”
What difference in the world did you make?
She added to your mythicalness.
We’ll need to borrow your microscope to confirm that.
Nobody can add to it, it is already at peak level. That is why it is “One” and not just “The Mythical.”
She’s the first woman to have coached in the Super Bowl. It’s right there in the article, a few sentences above the snippet you decided to quote in an effort to diminish her accomplishments for some reason.
That reason is called misogyny.
No, the reason is called sanity and logic. A coach on a successful team gets to the playoffs and wins a superbowl. Wee. That happens every year. There is nothing WORLD CHANGING about that.
You are obviously very triggered by her presence. She never claimed to be changing the world. Her statement alluded to “making a difference”, which whether you like it or not, she did. She was the first female coach and that means something. Even if she was not a big contributor to this team’s success, simple fact she was there may over time mean other women become interested in coaching and get a chance to do so, that is the difference my internet troll friend.
Was she good at her job? No mention of that in the article, I think it’s cool she’s a gay woman and good at her job as a football coach, I think it’s cool when straight dudes are good as their jobs as a coach, I think it’s cool if a bisexual alien is good at his job as a football coach, I’m so woke, look how woke I am guys….guys? Oh your sleeping? Well I’m woke so just so you know I’m woke not tryin to seem like I’m not woke because I’m woke, I’m woke notice me I’m woke
Your point being?
I am not triggered by anything because unlike you snowflakes I don’t let my emotions rule my logic. I don’t care that she’s a she or a lesbian. Her statement was “making a difference IN THE WORLD.” Not just “we made a difference,” which I also disagree with. She did a good job. There’s nothing amazing about that. It isn’t amazing BECAUSE she’s a female or because she’s a lesbian. To give it more credit for those reasons is to take away from the accomplishment and to degrade people of that persuasion because your default is YOU don’t think they can do it.
No trolling here. If you are a woman and/or a lesbian and you want to do a job, go do it. Do your best. And congratulations to you if you do a good job. There’s nothing world shattering about this.
You are obviously triggered and emotional about it, otherwise you would not be so defensive.
Project much?
I am not defending anything. I am educating people who sorely need it. I guess you must be triggered by my response, because you all are certainly responding to it so much and trying to defend her absurd comment.
Speaking of absurd comments…
There is obviously nothing world changing about being an assistant coach in the NFL. Stop the virtue signalling.
And? So what? She was a qualified candidate, did her job, and the team and others around her all did amazing jobs to accomplish that goal as well.
Now, a person who won the biggest award in playing a GAME. How did this make a difference in this world?
She didn’t invent a cure for cancer or something. THAT would be making a difference in this world.
Yikes, I’m embarrassed for you.
Save the embarrassment for yourself.
You’re the one that said “yikes”, that’s embarrassing.
The comment about kingsbury being kept implies that was even a question?
Yeah… not sure why Kingsbury sounded like they were considering firing him.
As someone who lives in AZ, I can tell you that there was and is a LOT of desire among the fans to part ways with Kliff. He’s seen as a poor game manager and, even though he’s perceived as an offensive guru, his offense wasn’t exactly potent the second half of the year. Murray made some cryptic comments about how the team was run this year and he’s the voice they’re listening to.
When you identify someone by their Race, Gender or Sexual Orientation and not by their character, merits or behavior. You are Racist, Sexist and believe gays are lessor. Thanks Andrew for showing the world you see people by their physical characteristics and not by their character. You’re a disgusting human and should be ashamed.
What’s your problem?
Andrew merely shared that Sowers was the first openly gay coach in NFL history. That’s a fact devoid of any opinion that some of us (myself included) were not aware of until reading this article. I don’t see any microaggressions that would suggest Andrew believes Sowers to be any less capable than any coach in the league. In fact, the point of the tidbit is that Sowers is seeking to find a team with more personnel flexibility where she can move up the employment ladder. I really hope you’re just trolling
The point is, none of her physical characteristics matter. No on cares that she is a Woman or Gay. What matters is if she is good at her craft. By identifying people in such a way demonstrates that merits are secondary to identity.
Look at your classy screen name. And you are lecturing? Should we not celebrate Martin Luther king jr day anymore? Or not care at all about Jackie Robinson? Correct, nothing matters other than the job they do, but sometimes barrier breaking is just as important. Especially when that barrier breaker deserves to be there based on their job performance too! Get a life buddy.
Don’t entertain this idiocy, let them be moronic in solitude.
According to Morgan Freeman; a black man, we shouldn’t. He also thinks we shouldn’t have a black history month. “Black history is American history, why would I want my legacy to be confined to just a month?”
I consider him to be vastly more qualified to hold an opinion on this matter than you.
Peterson needs to move on. How many times this year has been he burned. He is a former shell of the player he was.
yeah he was committing penalties like crazy vs Philly.
And got busted for a drug suspension earlier this season as well.
Kingsbury has been outmatched in the NFL. His buddy McVay treats games against him like practice.
regardless of her orientation, the story seems fishy. I assume she was offered a buyout to leave. I don’t think she did this to pursue another opportunity voluntarily.
John Lynch: “I’d really love to keep you with our team and pay you more money DeForrest but we feel buying out Katie Sowers is the bigger priority”
The coordinator she worked under is leaving, and they figure to hire a new one, who will have his own staff. Not hard to figure out.
Would really, really love to see DeMeco Ryans get an opportunity to let us see what he has in the coaching department. the guys was a really good and very smart linebacker in the league for a long time, back in the days where good inside/middle linebackers seemed more common than today (even though it really was not that long ago). I hope that he gets a job somewhere, even if it’s not in San Fran.