Sowers parts with 49ers after 4 seasons in pioneering role

She served as team’s first female assistant coach, league’s first openly gay coach

Katie Sowers’ pioneering tenure with the 49ers is done after four seasons, she told this news organization Thursday morning.

Sowers served as the

franchise’s first female assistant coach and the NFL’s first openly gay coach.

“I will sadly not be back,” Sowers confirmed in a text message, without further comment.

Sowers’ contract expired and she will now explore other opportunities for a chance at an expanded role. As an offensive assistant, Sowers generally worked with the 49ers’ wide receivers under position coach, Wes Welker.

The 49ers had no comment, as has been their protocol regarding assistants leaving under Kyle Shanahan since 2017.

Sowers, 34, initially joined the 49ers as a 2017 summer intern in the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Once that internship ended after the 49ers’ exhibition in her native Kansas City, she was retained as a fulltime coach.

“I’m going to miss you SF. Let’s see what 2021 has in store,” Sowers captioned a picture of Levi’s Stadium’s façade in an Instagram story Wednesday night.

Sowers came to the 49ers after interning with the 2016 Atlanta Falcons. She followed the NFL leads of Jen Welter (Arizona Cardinals intern) and Kathryn Smith ( Buffalo Bills special teams assistant).

In an Instagram post Thursday, Sowers wrote: “I think it’s important to understand that the path you were meant to take is more often than not … the path that was least expected … but that is the beauty in your story and YOU will always control the narrative.”