Morris, 49, has rugged NFL pedigree as a head coach twice—first with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later with the Atlanta Falcons—and brings four seasons of NFL defensive coordinator experience. He led the Falcons’ defense in 2020 and then served as the Rams’ defensive coordinator from 2021 through 2023 under head coach Sean McVay, contributing to Los Angeles’ Super Bowl LVI victory.
The hires would mark Morris’s third potential Super Bowl opportunity as a defensive strategist, aligning him with a defense-minded head coach in Kyle Shanahan. If confirmed, Morris would face McVay’s Rams twice a season, adding an intra-NFC matchup dynamic to the 49ers’ schedule and maintaining a high level of familiarity against one of his former employers.
The move also keeps Morris in the NFC, where his experience as a high-level defensive architect could help sustain the 49ers’ recent trend of defensive improvement. His prior success with both the Buccaneers and the Rams—and a Super Bowl pedigree—positions him to implement a scheme that complements San Francisco’s offense.
The report about Morris’s potential hire came from Dianna Russini of The Athletic, and the 49ers had not issued an official confirmation at the time of publication. If finalized, Morris would bring a veteran, playoff-tested defensive mindset to a team aiming to maintain its status as a top NFC contender.
