It's been 50 years since the NFL started a regular season without Bill Belichick on a sideline, but as things currently stand, it's looking more and more like that's going to happen in 2024.
After getting passed over for the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job in late January, it appears that he did have at least one other opportunity to join a team for the upcoming season, but it wasn't as a head coach. According to Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers actually called Belichick during their search for a new defensive coordinator, but it seems that the talks didn't really go anywhere.
The 49ers fired Steve Wilks on Feb. 14, and they ended up promoting defensive passing game coordinator Nick Sorensen after conducting a search that went on for more than two weeks. The 49ers also hired former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as an assistant head coach. Staley once served as the Rams defensive coordinator.
It's pretty clear Kyle Shanahan was trying to load up his coaching staff, so it's no surprise the 49ers gave Belichick a call. It's also not a huge shock because Shanahan has a lot of respect for the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach. At his end-of-year press conference following the 2018 season, Shanahan said he likely wouldn't be making any coaching changes ... unless someone like Belichick became available.
"No, I don't see myself making any specific changes," Shanahan said of his coaching staff, before adding an interesting caveat. "I mean, if Bill Belichick became available two weeks from now and said he wants to come here, and I was told I had to let someone go to bring him in, that would probably be a smart decision to do that."
Even though that comment came five years ago, Shanahan still seems to feel the same way. His phone call to Belichick proves that.
The 49ers definitely did their due diligence during their DC search. Not only did they call Belichick, but they also reached out to Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, according to The Athletic. Spagnuolo's contract expired after the Super Bowl, but the Chiefs quickly got him back under contract when they gave him an extension just three days after their 25-22 win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
As for Belichick, although he won't be on an NFL sideline this year, he should have plenty of opportunities in the media. Belichick's son, Steve, recently said he expects his dad to take a media job for the 2024 season, but there's no timeline on when the 71-year-old might make a decision. According to The Athletic, Peyton Manning has already reached out to Belichick about a possible job with Manning's Omaha Productions company.
If Belichick does end up with a media job, that means he'll miss his first NFL game since 1974. Belichick got his first coaching job in 1975 with the Baltimore Colts, and he's been on an NFL sideline ever since.
