49ers reportedly dump defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen: Three big names who could replace him

For the second time in less than 11 months, the San Francisco 49ers are in the market for a new defensive coordinator. 

According to NBC Sports Bay Area, the 49ers have decided that Nick Sorensen won’t be returning as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2025. However, this isn’t technically a firing just yet, because the 49ers are hoping that he will be willing to stay on the coaching staff in another role. 

Sorensen is losing his job after just one season as defensive coordinator. During the 2024 offseason, Kyle Shanahan spent nearly a month searching for a new defensive coordinator before making the decision to promote Sorensen, who was a defensive pass game specialist in 2023. Sorensen replaced Steve Wilks, who was fired back in February 2024 shortly after San Francisco’s 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.  

During the 2024 season, the 49ers surrendered just 317.4 yards per game, which ranked in the top-10 in the NFL. However, Sorensen’s unit surrendered 25.6 points per game, which was the fourth-worst number in the league. The 49ers defense especially struggled over the final three games of the season, surrendering an average of 38.7 points in losses to the Dolphins, Lions and Cardinals. 

One reason the 49ers likely decided to start looking for a new defensive coordinator is because there are a lot of attractive options out there. Let’s take a look at three of them that would make sense for San Francisco: 

1. Jeff Ulbrich. Before promoting Sorensen to defensive coordinator in early 2024, the 49ers actually tried to hire Ulbrich away from the Jets. Back in February, Ulbrich was the defensive coordinator in New York when Shanahan tried pry him away by offering him the 49ers defensive coordinator job. However, the deal didn’t go down because then-Jets coach Robert Saleh vetoed the deal. Ulbrich was named the interim coach in New York after Saleh was fired in October. Hiring Ulbrich would make a lot of sense for multiple reasons. For one, Shanahan has some personal ties to Ulbrich. The two men were on the same coaching staff in Atlanta for two seasons (2015-16). Also, Ulbrich, who was drafted by San Francisco in 2000, spent his entire 10-year playing career with the 49ers. 

2. Robert Saleh. Before being hired as head coach of the Jets in 2021, Saleh spent four seasons as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator under Shanahan. Saleh, who was fired by the Jets in October, will soon be interviewing for the Jaguars head-coaching job and he could score a few more interviews during this coaching cycle. However, if he doesn’t land a head-coaching job, then returning to San Francisco would make a lot of sense. During Saleh’s three-and-a-half seasons as the Jets’ head coach, Ulbrich was his defensive coordinator the entire time, so the 49ers would likely be more than thrilled if they can land either guy.  

3. Gus Bradley. The former NFL head coach is now available after getting fired as the defensive coordinator of the Colts this week. One advantage with Bradley is that he’s familiar with the NFC West: As the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks for four seasons (2009-12), he was the architect of one of the best defenses in the NFL. Not only has Bradley been the defensive coordinator for four different teams (Seahawks, Raiders, Chargers, Colts), but he was also the head coach of the Jaguars for four seasons. 

The one thing about Shanahan is that he won’t leave any stone unturned. During his search for a defensive coordinator in 2024, he called several big names, including Bill Belichick.