Kyle Shanahan Reveals Bill Belichick Turned Down 49ers Coaching Offer – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

Kyle Shanahan wanted Bill Belichick to join the 49ers 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 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 possible replacement before the team ultimately promoted Nick Sorensen internally 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 that he’s not only interested in Belichick as defensive coordinator, but he’s also open to the idea of ​​integrating the Hall of Fame coach into other roles.

“I did, I offered him everything,” Shanahan told Kawakami. “He loves the game so much that you never know what he’s going to… I can’t believe he’s not a head coach of a team right now. I know what I would do if I was the owner, so it’s shocking to me and the last thing you want to do is insult someone like Bill Belichick. But I know he loves the game in its simplest form, so I offered him everything, anything he wanted to do (including defensive coordinator). I said, ‘Would you be interested?’ And he was very kind and appreciative and politely declined.”

“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 sucked if he came here and then played us, so those are the kinds of things you have to watch out for. But he’s the best and I enjoy talking to him.”

With the 2024 NFL season fast approaching, 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.

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