Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, recently revealed that Bill Belichick, the legendary coach with six Super Bowl wins with the New England Patriots, declined an offer to join the 49ers' coaching staff for the 2024 NFL season.

"I did, I proposed it to him. I said, 'Would you be interested in coming here?' The offer was for him to do whatever he wanted with the 49ers this year, even if he wanted to handle defensive coordination. He was very kind and grateful and politely declined," Shanahan shared in an interview with The Athletic.

Shanahan mentioned that he can't understand why Belichick won't be leading a team for the upcoming season, which starts in September, marking the first time this century he won't be an NFL head coach. "I can't believe he's not the head coach of a team right now. I know what I'd do if I were an owner, so it surprises me, and the last thing I want to do is insult someone like Bill Belichick," Shanahan added.

In early January, Bill Belichick, who led the New England Patriots to nine Super Bowls, winning six (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII) with a team captained by Tom Brady, left the Patriots after 24 seasons.

During the offseason, the 72-year-old veteran coach, the most successful in NFL Super Bowl history, was rumored to be in talks to lead teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, or Los Angeles Chargers. However, no deal was finalized.

Shanahan noted that someone with Belichick's wisdom and experience will likely return as a head coach next year, something he wanted to avoid if Belichick had agreed to work with the 49ers.

"I'm sure he'll be back in the league next year, and we might face him. He could be with a team in the NFC West. It would be a shame if he didn't come here and then faced us, so we have to be careful about that because he's the best," acknowledged the 49ers coach.