Shanahan sought to add Belichick to his coaching staff this offseason, likely hoping the move would give the 49ers the edge they need to finally win another championship. San Francisco has endured two Super Bowl losses under Shanahan's leadership and is looking to get over the hump this season.
Belichick was briefly linked to the 49ers after Shanahan fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks following February's Super Bowl defeat. Nick Sorensen was eventually named Wilks' successor.
Shanahan joined Tim Kawakami's podcast, "The TK Show," revealing his strong desire to bring the longtime Patriots coach on board.
"I did, I threw it out to him," Shanahan said, per Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area. "He loves football so much that you never know what he ... I can't believe he's not a head coach of a team right now. I know what I would do if I was an owner, so that shocks me, and the last thing you want to do is insult someone like Bill Belichick.
"But I know he just loves ball in its simplest form, so I threw it all out to him, whatever he wanted to do, [including defensive coordinator]. I was like, 'Would you be interested?' And he was very nice and appreciative, and he politely turned me down."
Shanahan does not doubt that Belichick's coaching days aren't over. Belichick seems content with taking this season off from the sidelines. He is joining "Inside the NFL" as an analyst and will likely reexamine his NFL future next offseason.
"I'm sure he's going to be back in the league next year, and I could be going against him," Shanahan continued. "He could be in the NFC West. It would have sucked if he came here, and then he was going against us, so that's the stuff you have to be careful about. But he's the best, and I just like talking to him."