Patriots

Bill Belichick reportedly turned down defensive coordinator offer from 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan

"I know he just loves ball in its simplest form, so I threw it all out to him, whatever he wanted to do."

Bill Belichick report
Bill Belichick reportedly turned down a chance to join the 49ers as the defensive coordinator. AP Photo/Steven Senne

By Hayden Bird

The latest Bill Belichick report: It’s established now that Bill Belichick will not be working on an NFL staff in 2024, though even without a head coaching offer, it appears he could’ve still had a job in the upcoming season.

According to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Belichick was offered the role with San Francisco. Shanahan recently revealed the information during an interview with “The TK Show” podcast with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami.

“I did, I threw it out to him,” Shanahan told Kawakami. “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.”

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Shanahan acknowledged that the offer never gained traction.

“I was like, ‘Would you be interested?’ And he was very nice and appreciative, but he politely turned me down.”

The two-time NFC champion 49ers coach noted that Belichick is keeping busy helping his son (now an assistant at the University of Washington).

Belichick will also have a media presence in the upcoming season, as he’s set to appear on “Inside the NFL” among other roles.

Eyeing 2025, Shanahan said he expects Belichick will be back.

“I’m sure he’s going to be back in the league next year, and I could be going against him,” he predicted. “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.”

Trivia: How many Super Bowls did Bill Belichick win as a defensive coordinator?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: It all happened with one team.

Scores and schedules:

The Red Sox got a post-All-Star break win on Tuesday night, snapping a four-game losing streak with a 6-0 victory over the Rockies in Colorado. The two teams meet for the series finale this afternoon at 3:10 p.m.

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The Patriots take another momentous step toward the 2024 season on Wednesday, as the team holds its first practice of training camp. It’s a big day or new head coach Jerod Mayo and rookie quarterback Drake Maye (among others).

Some early Patriots soundbites: Here’s a quick Patriots rundown as training camp gets underway.

Devin McCourty’s take: The former Patriots defensive back-turned-studio analyst shared his thoughts on Drake Maye.

On this day: In 2004, one of the most famous Red Sox-Yankees rivalry moments happened when Alex Rodriguez, angry at getting hit by a Bronson Arroyo pitch, ended up in a fight with Boston catcher Jason Varitek. It was one of the more violent dust-ups in the eventful history between the two teams.

Eventually, the Red Sox ended up winning an absolute classic of a game, 11-10. Trailing in the ninth inning, Bill Mueller hit a two-run walk-off home run against legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. It proved to be a precursor of the miraculous postseason to come.

Daily highlight: Enjoy this sequence of Team USA domination in the pre-Olympic tuneup win over Germany on Tuesday.

Trivia answer: Two (Super Bowl XXI, Super Bowl XXV)

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