It is unknown how interested Fangio was in returning to the 49ers, who will likely have current Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as their new head coach once his playoff run is complete.
Fangio was the 49ers' defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh from 2011 through 2014. After Harbaugh and the 49ers parted ways, Fangio left for Chicago. The 49ers defense never ranked worse than fifth in the league under Fangio. The Bears defense has ranked 14th and 15th in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Fangio was one of two internal coaches that were interviewed for the head coaching job following the 2014 season. The job ultimately went to the other internal candidate, Jim Tomsula, who worked under Fangio as the defensive line coach.
The 49ers were also interested in former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley as their defensive coordinator. However, Bradley was only interested in the job if Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach and offensive line coach Tom Cable had been named the head coach.
The 49ers attempted to convince Bradley to join the team after it became known that Cable would not be the next head coach, but he declined. Bradley is in the running as the defensive coordinator for several NFL teams.
Related News
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk's latest social media warning should alarm every interested NFL team
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has spent much of the offseason damaging his reputation on social media, launching public attacks against his current team, his former agent, and the NFL Players Association. Now, Aiyuk has a message for any NFL team that... -
Ranking the 49ers Position Groups Ahead of Training Camp
Despite the seemingly never-ending Brandon Aiyuk saga, the San Francisco 49ers have had a productive offseason, addressing several positional weaknesses and reshaping key areas of the roster. That said, a few concerns remain, and some spots still feel more unsettled than... -
49ers QB Brock Purdy lands surprising spot in 2026 fantasy football rankings
Where does San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy rank among the NFL's top fantasy football quarterbacks entering the 2026 season? NFL Media's Dan Parr released his fantasy football quarterback rankings for NFL.com, organizing the league's top signal-callers into draft... -
49ers' Brock Purdy left out of ESPN's top-10 quarterback rankings
The debate over where San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy ranks among the NFL's elite continues. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler continued his annual NFL position rankings this week, unveiling his list of the league's top quarterbacks. The rankings are based on feedback from NFL...