Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked Thursday whether the San Francisco 49ers have discussed a long-term extension for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. He didn’t talk about contract terms, but he made clear how he sees the future.
“I see Raheem here for as long as I’m here. And if I wasn’t, I’m sure they wouldn’t be getting rid of him either. Raheem’s so good of a coach, you’ve always got to be nervous you’ll lose him as a head coach,” Shanahan said. “But, if that doesn’t happen I don’t plan on him ever leaving. So, got to make sure that happens.”
Morris has the defense playing well through five games. The 49ers rank third in the NFL in points allowed (93) and sixth in yards allowed (1,486). They also rank sixth in net yards per pass attempt
allowed (5.4) and third in passing touchdowns allowed (five).
Shanahan was asked how Morris’ background as a defensive back shows up in the secondary. He pointed to the scheme, which uses true zone drops with linebackers underneath rather than match drops.
“When you have zoning linebackers always underneath between the numbers and stuff, DBs don’t have to quite be as aggressive. But, then when you blitz, they need to,” Shanahan said. “I think just from a schematic standpoint and from the first day of OTAs, those guys aren’t counting on linebackers so they have to be more aggressive in coverage.”
He said that approach has changed how the defensive backs play.
“Those guys are playing concepts and stuff to stop plays without any help and that’s been their edge," Shanahan said, "think it’s made them better. It’s given them more confidence in practice and I think that’s what we’re all seeing in games.”
Keeping Morris would be breaking a recent trend for the 49ers. Since Robert Saleh left in 2020, the 49ers haven't had the same defensive coordinator for more than two seasons. Morris was actually the sixth coordinator to take the mantle since 2020, and only DeMeco Ryans held the role for more than one season (from 2021 to 2022 before he became head coach of the Houston Texans). Saleh returned in 2025, but left after that season to become the head coach of the Titans.
Morris has been a head coach twice already, too, so he may just want to stick around as a defensive coordinator for now, especially since his methods are working in San Francisco and Shanahan seems pleased with the results through five weeks.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: One coach Kyle Shanahan will keep with 49ers ‘as long as I’m here’
