San Francisco 49ers tried hiring .... after losing to Kansas City Chiefs

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. In a way, the San Francisco 49ers tried this approach after losing 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl by attempting to hire Steve Spagnuolo.

Not long after the Super Bowl concluded, the 49ers fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Then, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, they attempted to hire Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator who just held their superstar offensive cast to 22 points.

Typically coaches don’t make lateral moves, meaning since he was already the defensive play-caller for the Chiefs, there isn’t much upside to taking the same role with the 49ers. Yet, this situation was unique since ‘Spags’ had a contract that was set to expire.

However, the Chiefs didn’t hesitate to extend Spagnuolo while offering him a large raise to stick around in their attempt to threepeat as Super Bowl champions. Yet, since there were no more head coach vacancies, it’s not like Spagnuolo could have taken a promotion anywhere either. That could come next season if the Chiefs can maintain their strong level of play.

Spagnuolo will be heading into his sixth season as defensive coordinator of the Chiefs. He’s helped them win two Super Bowls and is coming off a season in which they allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL.