After finishing 4-13 in the previous season, the New England Patriots made the shocking—if long overdue—decision to fire longstanding head coach Bill Belichick. Instead, they chose to promote from within, selecting Jerod Mayo to succeed Belichick. As a result, Belichick became one of the most reliable choices in the yearly head coaching carousel that occurs over the winter. In the end, though, it appears more likely that Belichick will play the 2024 season at home rather than on the field, even in spite of the Atlanta Falcons’ alleged keen desire.
Although the Falcons weren’t the only team interested in signing Belichick, this is starting to seem like the case. Belichick’s services were also pursued by the San Francisco 49ers or other teams. The 49ers weren’t bringing him in for their head coaching post, either, as Kyle Shanahan already holds that role.
After firing Steve Wilks earlier in the offseason, the 49ers reportedly sought to hire Bill Belichick as their new defensive coordinator, according to Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, via John Breech of CBS Sports. However, the two parties’ discussions “didn’t really go anywhere.”
The 49ers made the decision to change course as the conversations abruptly fizzled out; they
chose to replace Wilks with Nick Sorensen, the team’s coordinator of the passing game in 2023. They also added former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, Brandon Staley, to serve as Kyle Shanahan’s assistant.
