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Katie Sowers’ pioneering tenure with the 49ers is over after four seasons, she told the news agency on Thursday morning.
Sowers was the franchise’s first assistant coach and the NFL’s first openly gay coach.
“I will unfortunately not be coming back,” Sowers confirmed in a text message, without further comment.
Sowers’ contact has expired and she will now explore other opportunities for a chance at an expanded role. As an offensive assistant, Sowers typically worked with 49ers receivers under positional coach Wes Welker.
The 49ers have not commented, as has their protocol regarding assistants leaving Kyle Shanahan since 2017.
Sowers, 34, originally joined the 49ers as a 2017 Summer Intern as part of the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship. After this internship was completed after the 49ers’ exhibition in her hometown of Kansas City, she was retained as a full-time coach.
“I will miss you SF. Let’s see what 2021 has in store for us, ”Sowers wrote captioned a photo of the Levi’s Stadium facade in an Instagram story Wednesday night.
The Sowers came to the 49ers after interning with the 2016 Atlanta Falcons. She followed NFL leaders Jen Welter (Arizona Cardinals intern) and Kathryn Smith (Buffalo Bills special teams assistant).
In an Instagram post on Thursday, Sowers wrote: “I think it’s important to understand that the path you were meant to take is more often than not … the least expected path … but that’s the beauty of your story and YOU will always control The Narrator. ”
Sowers became the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl last season. She has participated in forums and championed equality, and she has received several accolades in recent years, including being named Outsports Person of the Year 2020 last week.
“This year has been full of ups and downs,” Sowers told Outsports.com. “From going to the Super Bowl, to the pandemic and the loss of my father – this award was a reminder that we all have the ability to make a difference no matter what the circumstances and I am honored to know that I am joining a list of these incredible “change agents”. ”
Coach Kyle Shanahan’s staff are set to undergo more changes, especially if defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is hired as a coach by one of the five teams chasing him.
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