49ers assistant Matt Eberflus was NFL's next big coaching star. Now he's back on his feet after two pink slips

Matt Eberflus' boyhood heroes were among the most menacing men in a violent sport: Raiders safety Jack "The Assassin" Tatum, Steelers defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greene and Pittsburgh linebacker Jack Lambert, the "Man of Steel."

Eberflus, 56, smiled Tuesday when recalling front-yard tackle football games in Toledo, Ohio, with his brother and his sister's boyfriend. He always wanted to be an all-time defensive player, not the all-time QB. From an early age, grit had more appeal than glamour.

"I've always been drawn to the physicality of the game," Eberflus said. "The violence of the game. And I was that way as a player."

A walk-on linebacker whose intensity and fury led him to Toledo's Athletic Hall of Fame, Eberflus knows about knocking people down. And getting knocked down. And getting back up. And that's come in handy lately.

Seven years after his hometown newspaper declared, "The NFL's next big coaching star is from Toledo," Eberflus was hired in March as the San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach/defense. His job description, he says, is to "serve" defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and "assist the assistants."

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It's not a role he envisioned filling in 2022 when his 30-year career climb made him the Chicago Bears head coach. But Eberflus was fired in November 2024 after two-plus seasons and a 14-32 record. And he was fired as the Cowboys defensive coordinator in January after Dallas allowed 511 points, sixth most in NFL history.

How has he handled two very public pink slips in 14 months? He began playing football at age 8. He's been roughed up before.

"I think the game of football prepares you," Eberflus said. "Because there's peaks and valleys. Ups and downs. There's adversities. There's successes."

Eberflus' stay in Santa Clara will be brief, if recent history is a guide. In 2024, Brandon Staley had the same assistant head coach/defense title with the 49ers after he was fired as the Chargers head coach. Staley became the Saints defensive coordinator the next season. In 2025, former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley replaced Staley after he was fired as the Colts defensive coordinator. Bradley is now the Titans defensive coordinator.

Before joining the 49ers, Eberflus reached out to several coaching mentors for advice. Words that resonated came from Rod Marinelli, 76, who counseled him to go where it "feels right" and he could enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship.

"He (said), ‘Because you're going to give a lot to the organization, but also you're going to get a lot from the organization,'" Eberflus said. "And when you look at the 49ers, it's been an excellent organization for a long, long time. And I was excited to be a part of that."

What Eberflus might be most excited about: The 49ers are providing an all-ball environment. He acknowledged that might sound odd: Aren't all franchises singularly focused on the main thing? But his stops over his 17 NFL seasons with four teams - the Browns, Colts, Bears and Cowboys - have shaped his perspective.

"It's all football (with the 49ers). And people would say, ‘What do you mean, it's all football?'" Eberflus said. "Well, there's nothing but football here. It's just that that's all you do. And that enables you to set your meetings up, coach the guys in the technique, and really focus on your job."

Eberflus' life has been all ball. He got his work ethic from his late dad, Stan, an electrician who was an all-city center in high school. Plenty of dads throw to their sons; Stan Eberflus taught his two boys how to snap. Eberflus was asked Tuesday to re-tell a story that appeared in a 2022 Chicago Tribune profile that captured his family's passion for pigskin. He grinned.

"OK," he said, "that's a good one."

The story: Eberflus' older sister, Christel, got married when Matt, who attended Whitmer High School, was playing a road playoff game against Middletown. Before the wedding party went to Whitmer to greet the returning team bus - the Panthers won - Eberflus' dad wore headphones to listen to the game during the reception and family members burst out into cheers that confused uninitiated guests.

"I know (my dad) cared that my sister got married," Eberflus said, laughing. "I think the football game was a little bit more important."

Football has knocked Eberflus down recently. In Chicago, he couldn't reverse the fortunes of a franchise that had posted one winning season since 2012 when he was hired and spent his first two years with first-round flameout Justin Fields as its starting QB. Last year, with the Cowboys, Eberflus' new job became harder when Dallas traded All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Packers in August.

On Tuesday, a day after the Browns dealt All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett to the Rams, Eberflus was asked whether he could relate to the post-trade emotions of first-year Cleveland defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg.

"You're funny," Eberflus said to his questioner. "That's a funny one."

It was a reminder of a painful season, but Eberflus wasn't mad. He was smiling. The former linebacker is back on his feet, ready to tackle the next challenge.

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