Ex-Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Turned Down Offer To Join Super Bowl Contender

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick may not have had any head-coaching offers this offseason, but he did have at least one job offer.

During a recent appearance on Tim Kawakami’s “The TK Show,” San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted that he extended Belichick an offer to join his coaching staff in a role of his choosing — an offer the 72-year-old respectfully declined.

“I threw it out to him,” Shanahan told Kawakami . “He loves football so much that you never know what he ... I can't believe 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, [including defensive coordinator]. I was like 'Would you be interested?' And he was very nice and appreciative and he politely turned me down.”

Belichick was considered the front-runner for the Atlanta Falcons job was owner Arthur Blank didn’t want to yield the kind of power Belichick wanted in his next job and he ultimately went with Raheem Morris instead.

It was reported last week that Belichick is all-in on coaching again in 2025, and after a year away from football, he will likely be champing at the bit to get back on an NFL sideline.

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

Related: Analyst Drops Major Hint About Bill Belichick’s Preferred Next Coaching Job