In a recent episode of “The TK Show”, a podcast hosted by The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed some surprising information.
Shortly after legendary coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways following last season, Shanahan reached out to the icon and offered him a coaching spot on San Francisco’s staff.
“I did, I threw it out to him,” Shanahan said. “He loves football so much that you never know what he … I can’t believe that 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.”
Shanahan mentioned that one of the positions offered to Belichick was San Francisco’s defensive coordinator role. Once Belichick turned down the gig, the 49ers promoted Nick Sorensen.
“I was like, ‘Would you be interested?’ And he was very nice and appreciative, but he politely turned me down.”
The longtime coach of the Patriots interviewed for Atlanta’s head coaching opening — the job ultimately went to Raheem Morris — but he will now spend the ’24 season on the media side. Belichick is set to appear weekly on The Pat McAfee Show and will also be an analyst for the CW’s Inside the NFL. Additionally, Belichick will appear on the “ManningCast” during ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
While Belichick turned down Shanahan and the Niners, San Francisco’s coach doesn’t see him staying away from the sidelines for much longer.
“I’m sure he’s going to be back in the league next year, and I could be going against him,” Shanahan said. “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.”
