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When Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways earlier this year, there was much speculation and even some assumptions that Belichick, the second-most winningest head coach in NFL history and a six-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots, would not be out of work for very long. But the longtime coach could not or did not find what he was looking for, even with reported interest by the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.
Belichick, who coached the Patriots for 24 seasons, finished his tenure in New England on a low note; in the four years after the departure of Tom Brady, Belichick posted three losing seasons and missed the playoffs three times, including an abysmal 4-13 year in 2023, Belichick's final with the team.
Despite the sour conclusion to more than two decades of dynastic dominance, Belichick garnered relatively little interest for a coach with his accolades. While Belichick did nearly land the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job, things were not meant to be — possibly as a result of Patriots owner Robert Kraft — and Belichick was left without a sideline to stroll.
Rams, 49ers tried to hire Bill Belichick after Patriots departure
While the head coaching possibilities were slim for Bill Belichick after leaving the Patriots, he had two major players in the NFC eager to employ him in a non-head coaching role: the Rams and 49ers. The NFC West rivals were both looking for new defensive coordinators this past offseason after Raheem Morris, the Rams' defensive coordinator, coincidentally beat out Belichick and became the head coach of the Falcons, and the 49ers fired their DC Steve Wilks following San Francisco's Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers and Rams' jobs were reportedly among several Belichick could have taken if he was willing to return to being an assistant rather than a head coach, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
“Belichick had multiple opportunities to join various staffs this past offseason as a defensive coordinator or some type of decorated assistant role,” Schefter wrote. “Not only did the San Francisco 49ers consider Belichick for their vacant defensive coordinator job, as head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted this summer, but so did the Los Angeles Rams, according to league sources.
“The Rams had a defensive coordinator vacancy after Raheem Morris left to become the Atlanta Falcons head coach, and one of the names on Los Angeles' wish list was Belichick, who preferred to take his career and time elsewhere this season.”
Instead of assisting Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan, the latter of whom revealed this summer Belichick “politely turned [him] down, the longtime coach chose to go the media route, which includes appearances on numerous television programs such as “The Pat McAfee Show” the “ManningCast” with Peyton and Eli Manning, and “Inside the NFL.” Additionally, Belichick is reportedly writing his own book.
Things could change very quickly over the next year and change for Belichick, though. While he was potentially seen this past offseason as a bit undesirable after controlling nearly every aspect of the Patriots over the last near quarter century, a year removed from the worst season of his career could help key decisionmakers forget about the end of Belichick's reign in New England when they are searching for a new head coach next January.
