NFC Notes: Bill Belichick, Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers

Former Patriots HC Bill Belichick was surprisingly shut out of the coaching cycle this past offseason and will spend 2024 doing TV analysis and preparing for another crack at things in 2025. However, he presumably had opportunities to coach in a lesser capacity, including apparently with the 49ers. 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan revealed he gave Belichick an open-ended offer to join his staff for the year. 

“I did, I threw it out to him,” Shanahan said in a podcast interview with the Athletic’s Tim Kawakami. “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.”

“I’m sure he’s going to be back in the league next year, and I could be going against him,” Shanahan added. “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.”

• Despite reporting to training camp, 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk was not in uniform and not practicing on Day 1. (Matt Barrows)
• Shanahan said Aiyuk’s back and neck are sore — and that he’s “holding in” because of his contract: “He’s going to stay out of practice, which is obviously a ‘hold in.’ It’s what we expected. I understand the situation fully.” (Matt Maiocco)

Cardinals

• Per ESPN’s Omar Ruiz, Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon outlined what his expectations are for his team in Year 2: “Be better than we were last year… improve every day… and line up and win football games.” 
• Gannon pointed out Cardinals S Budda Baker gave an impromptu speech to the team and is still making a positive impact as a leader. (Ruiz)
• Gannon says the Cardinals are pretty healthy going into camp and the only injury worth noting is to OL Jon Gaines, who won’t start camp on the PUP list but will be limited as he continues to work back from a torn ACL. (Darren Urban)

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay doesn’t expect any player in particular to replace Aaron Donald on the defensive line, but is excited about the new additions on the team and expects players like DL Byron Young to take a jump in his second year.

“We don’t have the luxury of having a guy that is, in essence, the Michael Jordan of the defensive line. We’ve got some really good players, but there is a philosophical approach that we believe – and Coach Shula – and what we’ll do defensively we believe in to play defense. But to expect anybody to play like Aaron Donald, to do the things he did to impact the game the way that he did, to affect his teammates the way that he did, that’s not fair to put that on anybody,” McVay said, via Rams Wire.

“But I am really excited and encouraged about the opportunity for us to see what that looks like. I’m so grateful for everything that he did, but I think we’ve got some young guys that I think have a chance. I think Kobie Turner’s a really good player. We’ve got some other young guys. I think Bobby Brown made a really good jump last year and I’m expecting that much more from him. We drafted Braden Fiske and Tyler Davis. And then on the edges, I think Byron Young is going to take a major leap. I think Michael Hoecht is a really versatile player that we can do a better job utilizing his skill set to not put him in some of the harder downs that he was in last year. And I’m really excited about Jared Verse.”