Shocking 49ers-Steve Spagnuolo Report Emerges

Despite the Super Bowl being in the rearview mirror, the San Francisco 49ers have been happy to keep the pressure on the Kansas City Chiefs in recent weeks. As San Fran searched for a new defensive coordinator following the loss in Las Vegas, Chiefs assistant David Merritt was brought in as a potential candidate.

However, it turns out Merritt wasn't the only KC staffer the 49ers were eyeing.

The Athletic's Diana Russini reports San Francisco "flirted with" the idea of pursuing Steve Spagnuolo for their DC job, which opened after the team fired Steve Wilks post-Super Bowl. However, Kansas City moved quickly to ensure Spags stuck around, inking him to an extension.

It's no surprise to hear Spagnuolo was coveted by another team. After all, his work in turning the Chiefs' defense into one of the team's strengths has turned heads around the league.

That being said, it's incredibly bold for Kyle Shanahan to poke around the Chiefs for a possible hire. While Andy Reid knows success brings with it coaches moving on to bigger roles, targeting two of his key assistants could be viewed poorly by Big Red.

Perhaps this shows how desperate Shanahan is to rebound after falling to Kansas City again. The heat is on the gifted offensive mind to finally get over the hump, especially after two blown leads against Reid and co. in the big game.

This could've been a case of if you can't beat 'em, steal 'em for yourself, but both Merritt and Spagnuolo are sticking around for another go. We'll see if Shanhan ultimately regrets letting them get away.

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