49ers reportedly targeted Super Bowl-winning coordinator

The San Francisco 49ers stayed in-house and hired defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorensen as their new defensive coordinator, but a new claim suggests that they were really aiming high at the start of their search.

The 49ers tried to hire Steve Spagnuolo away from the Kansas City Chiefs to become their new defensive coordinator, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Ultimately, Spagnuolo signed a new contract to remain with the Chiefs, and it does not sound like the 49ers got far in their efforts.

Trying to hire the defensive coordinator that just beat you in the Super Bowl certainly qualifies as ambitious. Spagnuolo is very well-regarded around the NFL, and many credited him as the unsung hero behind the Chiefs’ success in 2023. It is not clear if Spagnuolo would have even been interested in the 49ers, but presumably, they would have been prepared to offer him a huge deal to make the move. Perhaps that was a factor in the Chiefs’ decision to sort out a new contract with him.

Spagnuolo might have more interest in leaving for a head coaching job. As it is, he will remain with the Chiefs, while the 49ers will move forward with an internal option.