49ers coach Kyle Shanahan wanted Bill Belichick to join the team’s coaching staff this offseason, but the interest wasn’t 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 he spent the last 24 seasons with.
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 possible replacement before the team eventually 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 latest episode of “The TK Show” podcast, where the 49ers coach revealed he not only had interest in Belichick as a defensive coordinator but was open to bringing the Hall of Fame coach on board in other roles.
“I did, I threw it out to him,” Shanahan told Kawakami.
“He loves football so much that you never know what he … I can’t believe he’s not a head coach of a team right now. I know what I would do if I was an owner so that shocks me and the last thing you want to do is insult someone like Bill Belichick.
“But I know he just loves ball in its simplest form, so I threw it all out to him, whatever he wanted to do, [including defensive coordinator]. I was like ‘Would you be interested?’ And he was very nice and appreciative and he politely turned me down.
“I’m sure he’s going to be back in the league next year and I could be going against him. He could be in the NFC West. It would have sucked if he came here and then he was going against us, so that’s the stuff you have to be careful about. But he’s the best and I just like talking to him.”
With the 2024 NFL season right around the corner, it appears Belichick will not be coaching in the league this year, but he has landed roles as an analyst on the “Pat McAfee Show,” “Inside The NFL” and occasionally is helping his son, Steve, coach the Washington Huskies’ defense.
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Had Belichick accepted Shanahan’s open-ended offer, the 49ers coaching staff would have received a significant boost in the form of the greatest coach of all time.
