He becomes the first one-and-done coach since the San Francisco 49ers fired Chip Kelly in 2016.
Wilks is also the fourth African American coach fired since Sunday, joining the New York Jets’ Todd Bowles, Denver Broncos’ Vance Joseph and Cincinnati Bengals’ Marvin Lewis.
The Cardinals capped a 3-13 season on Sunday with a loss to the Seattle Seahawks that leaves them with the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
However, Wilks, 49, will not be around to make the choice.
A defensive assistant before coming to Arizona, his Cardinals team ranked last in a variety of offensive categories with rookie Josh Rosen at the helm: points per game (14.1), total yardage per game (241.6), passing yardage per game (157.7) and rushing yardage per game (83.9).
What may have sealed Wilks’ fate, however, was not the offense alone. The Cardinals’ defense also gave up almost twice as much rushing yardage in 2018 as it did the season before and allowed 25 rushing TDs to 12 in 2017.
Wilks becomes the 10th NFL coach since 2000 to be fired during or after his first season with a team.
Speculation is that he could return to Ron Rivera’s staff as coordinator after the Carolina Panthers coach juggled his defensive staff during a disappointing 2018 season.
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