Kyle Shanahan says Bill Belichick declined offer to join 49ers

Bill Belichick had at least one offer to continue his NFL career on the sideline this season.

Kyle Shanahan said on "The TK Show" podcast hosted by The Athletic's Tim Kawakami, in an episode that was posted Monday, that he offered the former New England Patriots coach a spot on his San Francisco 49ers staff but was turned down. 

"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."

That included the team's defensive coordinator position, Shanahan said, a job that ultimately was filled when the 49ers promoted Nick Sorensen to the role. 

"I was like, 'Would you be interested?' And he was very nice and appreciative, but he politely turned me down."

Shanahan, then the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator, and Belichick famously faced off in Super Bowl LI, which the Patriots won in overtime 34-28 after rallying from a 28-3 deficit. 

Belichick and the Patriots parted ways after the 2023 season, ending a 24-year stay with the franchise during which he led New England to six Super Bowl titles. His 296 wins with the Patriots (including playoffs) are the second most with one franchise in NFL history, trailing only George Halas (324 with the Chicago Bears). His 333 coaching wins (including playoffs) are the second most all time behind Don Shula (347).

Belichick, 72, interviewed with the Falcons for their head-coaching vacancy, but that job went to Raheem Morris. Now he is set to join the media covering the NFL, with a role as an analyst for the CW's "Inside the NFL," joining the Manning brothers for their "ManningCast" during ESPN's "Monday Night Football" and with a weekly spot on "The Pat McAfee Show."

But Shanahan said he believes Belichick will be back coaching in the NFL in 2025.

"I'm sure he's going to be back in the league next year, and I could be going against him," Shanahan said on the podcast. "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."