Bill Belichick was reportedly contacted by 49ers for defensive coordinator vacancy

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Bill Belichick was reportedly contacted by 49ers for defensive coordinator vacancy

Posted By: jasabacklink March 9, 2024

Patriots

The 49ers ultimately promoted from within while also hiring Brandon Staley to help coach the defense.

Bill Belichick was let go by the Patriots after 24 seasons in January. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

Bill Belichick was passed over in this offseason’s NFL head coaching carousel, but it appears he could have landed a coaching gig as an assistant.

The 49ers called the former Patriots head coach to see if he was interested in their defensive coordinator vacancy, according to The San Francisco Chronicle‘s Michael Silver. It’s unclear if Belichick had any interest, but the 49ers wound up promoting Nick Sorensen to be their defensive coordinator and hired Brandon Staley as their assistant head coach to help replace Steve Wilks.

Belichick wasn’t the only big-name coach San Francisco went after following its decision to let go of Wilks in the wake of its Super Bowl loss. The 49ers also reached out to Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo about the vacancy, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini recently reported. Spagnuolo, of course, helped the Chiefs beat the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII in February. His contract actually expired at the end of the season, but the Chiefs extended on the day of their parade.

This also marks the second straight offseason that the 49ers have inquired about possibly adding a Patriots icon. The team reached out to Tom Brady during the 2023 offseason about possibly playing for them as there was uncertainty over Brock Purdy’s torn UCL, which head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed to NBC Sports’ Peter King in February.

“I was serious about it,” Shanahan reportedly told King of a potential pursuit of Brady. He said he and the young quarterback spoke about Purdy’s status as starter early last offseason. “As we talked, I’m looking at Brock, and he’s got his arm in a sling, and I really am not sure I’ve got a quarterback who’s going to be ready for the start of the 2023 season. That started all of this.”

Brady turned down the opportunity, electing to remain retired.

As for Belichick, working as an assistant coach isn’t foreign to him, but it’s also something he hasn’t done in a few decades. He came to prominence as a coach for his work as the Giants’ defensive coordinator from 1985-90 under Bill Parcells. After he was fired as the Browns’ head coach in 1995, Belichick rejoined Parcells in New England to work as the Patriots’ defensive backs coach for a season. He followed Parcells back to New York when he became the Jets’ head coach, serving as Parcells’ defensive coordinator again from 1997-99.

Belichick reportedly still wants to be a head coach, seeing possible opportunities in the 2025 head coaching cycle. But his next job could come in television. Belichick is “definitely pursuing” a television gig, according to his son, Steve.

There was some news on where that TV gig might be for Belichick this week. Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning is pursuing Belichick to join his Omaha Productions for him to star in a possible “Manningcast” type of show, The Athletic‘s Andrew Marchand reported.