Shanahan reveals Belichick ‘politely’ turned down 49ers’ offer to coach Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
Kyle Shanahan wanted Bill Belichick to join the 49ers coaching staff this offseason, but the interest was not mutual.
Belichick, the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach, became a free agent earlier this offseason after mutually agreeing to part ways with the New England Patriots, the organization with which he spent the past 24 seasons.
After parting ways with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks shortly after the 49ers’ Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Belichick was linked to San Francisco as a potential replacement before the team ultimately promoted Nick Sorensen from within and hired former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as an assistant.
Shanahan joined The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami on the Last episode of “The TK Show” podcast, where the 49ers coach revealed that he not only had interest in Belichick as a defensive coordinator, but was open to bringing the Hall of Fame coach into other roles.
“I did, I told him that,” Shanahan told Kawakami. “He loves football so much you never know what he’s going to do. I can’t believe he’s not the head coach of a team right now. I know what I would do if I was the owner, so that surprises me and the last thing you want to do is insult someone like Bill Belichick. But I know he loves football in its simplest form, so I told him everything I wanted to do (including being a defensive coordinator). I said, ‘Would you be interested?’ And he was very nice and appreciative and politely turned me down.
“I’m sure he’ll be back in the league next year and I could play him. He could be in the NFC West. It would have been terrible if he came here and then played us, so you have to be careful with that. But he’s the best and I like talking to him.”
With the 2024 NFL season just around the corner, it appears Belichick won’t be coaching in the league this year, but he has landed analyst roles on the “Pat McAfee Show,” “Inside The NFL” and occasionally helps his son, Steve, coach the Washington Huskies’ defense.
Had Belichick accepted Shanahan’s open offer, the 49ers’ coaching staff would have received a significant boost in the form of the greatest coach of all time.