The NFL is rife with possibilities that never came to fruition. The San Francisco 49ers under Kyle Shanahan offer a wealth of material for a captivating docuseries, exploring the moves that almost happened and the ones that did, but didn’t quite work out for various reasons. From DeForest Buckner to Jimmy Garoppolo’s ACL, Dee Ford to Trey Lance, the list is endless. Recently, Dianna Russini of The Athletic’s podcast revealed that the 49ers were in talks with the defensive coordinator who prevented them from claiming their sixth Lombardi trophy: “Even on the coaching side, which there is no cap, right? Steve Spagnuolo signs a couple of days after. San Francisco was flirting with him and bringing him in as DC.” I’m intrigued to know who else was on Shanahan’s radar, such as Spags, Bill Belichick, and Mike Vrabel, and why they ultimately declined the job. Perhaps a simple phone call was all it took for Spags to pass. I was convinced that the 49ers would win the Super Bowl, as historically speaking, good/great offenses tend to overcome good/great defenses. However, I underestimated Spags’ ability to perform at an elite level in high-pressure situations. He was the driving force behind the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, and for my money, DeMeco Ryans was the best defensive coordinator in 2022, but Spagnuolo stole that title in 2023. While Shanahan may not land Spags, he could potentially lure away his right-hand man.
Report: The 49ers “flirted” with bringing in Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator after the Super Bowl
