SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Katie Sowers, one of the first full-time assistants in the NFL and her first openly gay trainer, will not return to the San Francisco 49ers next season, a league source confirmed on Thursday.
After four years with the team, Sowers and the Niners are splitting up when their contract expires, the source told ESPN. The Bay Area News Group reported Sowers’ departure for the first time.
Sowers spent his time with the team as an offensive assistant, mostly working alongside trainer Wes Welker in that position group.
In an Instagram photo posted earlier this week, Sowers captioned a photo of himself with: “I don’t know what 2021 holds … but I promise you, it won’t be boring.”
After spending the 2016 season as an intern with the Atlanta Falcons, Sowers joined the 49ers as part of his 2017 Bill Walsh NFL Coaching Diversity Fellowship. At the conclusion of this program, the team hired her as a seasonal offensive assistant.
For the past three seasons, Sowers, 34, has served as an offensive assistant, becoming the franchise’s first full-time female coach and second full-time assistant coach in league history.
While her role with the Niners mainly made her work with the receivers, she also helped prepare the game for all players of offensive ability.
In February, Sowers became the first NFL employee to train in a Super Bowl.
“Being the first woman in the Super Bowl is surreal,” said Sowers then. “It really is. But what I want to keep saying is that although I am the first, the most important thing is that I am not the last and we continue to grow.”