Raheem Morris' hire as 49ers defensive coordinator provides a reunion with Kyle Shanahan

“Kyle was someone that you love working with, love working for,” Morris said Thursday at his first news conference since being hired in February. "Kyle’s definitely one of those people you always want to work with. From our time being in, whether it was Tampa the original time we worked together, when we were both young puppies, or the second time we worked together when we were in D.

C. and being able to be around his father, be around the Shanahan family, the tradition and the culture that they’re able to form really molded me throughout my career since I was around the Shanahans to be honest. ” Morris had a chance to join San Francisco in 2021 after his time in Atlanta ended the previous season but the Niners promoted DeMeco Ryans to defensive coordinator.

Morris went to the Los Angeles Rams as defensive coordinator and helped them win the Super Bowl his first season before turning that into a head coaching job with the Falcons in 2024. Morris was fired again after this past season by Atlanta and was Shanahan's No. 1 choice as coordinator after Saleh got the head coaching job in Tennessee and the reunion finally came together.

The relationship between Morris and Shanahan started in 2004 when Shanahan was hired as an assistant in Tampa Bay for his first NFL job where Morris was an assistant defensive backs coach on Jon Gruden's staff. They then worked together again in Washington on the staff of Kyle's father, Mike, and in Atlanta. Morris' ties to the Niners are deeper than just Shanahan.