Though they’ve interviewed half of a dozen candidates with another half dozen waiting to interview, the Falcons have seemingly made Bill Belichick the club’s top target to fill their head coaching vacancy.
The rumor mill is flowing heavily as every national pundit throws their two cents in that the two sides have interest, but it’s been nothing more than rumors. That’s no longer the case.
On Monday night, the Falcons announced that they’ve interviewed Belichick for their open head coaching position. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero adds that “no deal is imminent” between the two sides, but there is “mutual interest” and conversations are still ongoing.
Legendary coach Bill Belichick and #Falcons owner Arthur Blank met in person recently to discuss Atlanta’s head coaching job, per sources.
No deal is imminent. But there is mutual interest and conversations are ongoing. pic.twitter.com/Lcnpemj4bZ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 16, 2024
The architect of the greatest sports dynasty we have ever seen is a free agent, but it seems the only club in the NFL that is even remotely interested is the Atlanta Falcons. It’s at least the only organization that has interviewed him.
Who many consider to be the GOAT ran stale in New England. He failed to deliver any semblance of success in a post-Tom Brady world. There wasn’t success on the personnel side of things nor on the field. It’s why Robert Craft saw it fit to finally part ways with Belichick.
It’s also why I’m not interested. Belichick deserves praise for his work, but this is about the future, not the past. In recent years, the man hired Matt Patricia to coordinate his offense and effectively hamstrung Mac Jones throughout his short career with the Patriots.
Here’s some context for what I am talking about:
The coaching points being given to Jones, according to league sources, were frequently too general — throw the deep ball regardless of the coverage read or even, more simply, just to find an open player — rather than nuanced toward the scheme and opposing defense.
Meanwhile, Jones’ input on how to improve the offense was met by some coaches with rebuke.
During games, there were situations when different coaches would call the plays into Jones’ headset. Jones’ confidence, according to league sources, took an understandable hit.
With Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator, Mac Jones completed 67.6% of his passes for over 3,800 yards, 22 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions en route to a 10-7 record, a playoff berth, and a Pro Bowl.
The fact of the matter is Bill Belichick isn’t in high demand for a reason. The Falcons may actually be a last resort. One Atlanta beat writer has a source familiar with the situation that Belichick doesn’t even want the Falcons head coaching job.
“I don’t think they’ll get Bill. Bill doesn’t want this job, but it might be … (that if ) he’s got no other options, and he wants to coach, he’ll take it,” a source told D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
If Blank ever needed a sign that a head coach candidate wasn’t the right choice, this should be it, if it’s true. Belichick just wanting to coach, so he’ll take any gig is a terrible reason to hire him. I want a guy that is desperate for the job. Also if no other team wants him, maybe, just maybe that should throw up a red flag in Blank’s mind.
It’s entirely possible that Bill Belichick is the greatest coach of all time and at the same time isn’t what’s best for Atlanta right now. It seems obvious to me, but Arthur Blank appears fixated on the man who helped orchestrate the largest comeback in Super Bowl history against his own team.
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Photographer: Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire
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