The 49ers tried to shoot their shot with Bill Belichick, but in a different position on Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff.
The New England Patriots, following a 4-13 finish last season, made the bombshell, if overdue, decision to relieve longtime head coach Bill Belichick of his duties, deciding to promote from within by naming Jerod Mayo as Belichick’s successor. This made Belichick one of the most proven options in the offseason’s annual head coaching carousel. However, in the end, despite reported strong interest from the Atlanta Falcons, Belichick looks rather likely to spend the 2024 season from the confines of his home instead of on the sidelines.
This is shaping up to be the case even though the Falcons weren’t the only team to express interest in hiring Belichick. The San Francisco 49ers were also among the teams that made an effort to enlist Belichick’s services. The caveat, however, is that the 49ers weren’t bringing him in for their head coaching position, as Kyle Shanahan has that position on lock.
As per Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, via John Breech of CBS Sports, the 49ers looked to bring Bill Belichick in as the team’s new defensive coordinator after the team let Steve Wilks go earlier in the offseason. Talks between the two parties, however, “didn’t really go anywhere.”
With talks fizzling out rather quickly, the 49ers decided to pivot; they decided to name Nick Sorensen, the team’s passing game coordinator in 2023, as Wilks’ replacement, while they also brought in Brandon Staley, the Los Angeles Chargers’ former head coach, as an assistant to Kyle Shanahan.
When a footballing mind of Bill Belichick’s caliber is available in the market, it’s the wise decision for the 49ers to float a call regardless of the outcome. It’s unclear just how willing Belichick is to accept a non-head coaching job. But given how long Belichick served as one of the most important members of the Patriots’ brain trust, he may not be too open to doing so.
