The 49ers might have been looking to make a splash with their next defensive coordinator.
Before the 49ers' reported plan to promote Nick Sorensen and hire Brandon Staley, San Francisco looked into hiring Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for the position before Spagnuolo reportedly agreed to an extension with the Chiefs shortly after Super Bowl LVIII, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported in his latest column, citing sources.
"Before filling their defensive coordinator position Saturday with the promotion of Nick Sorensen and hiring Brandon Staley as assistant head coach, the 49ers looked into several very intriguing options," Graziano wrote. "The most intriguing would have been an all-time if-you-can't-beat-'em-join-'em move. Sources say the Niners explored the possibility of hiring Steve Spagnuolo away from the Chiefs for their defensive coordinator position shortly after their Super Bowl loss to Kansas City.
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"Spagnuolo's contract with the Chiefs was set to expire this offseason, and the Niners' interest likely was one of the reasons the Chiefs moved quickly to extend him. Multiple sources said Spagnuolo's new deal will pay him somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 million per year."
Spagnuolo is widely regarded as one of, if not the best defensive coordinators in the NFL, and his Chiefs defense helped lift Kansas City to a Super Bowl win over the 49ers just three weeks ago.
It didn't take the 49ers long to pivot after failing to lure the 64-year-old coach away from the Chiefs, and they now appear ready to begin a new chapter under Sorensen in 2024.
