As of about midnight last night, the Falcons are officially a coach-less football club. Arthur Smith has been terminated after three straight 7-10 seasons and the search for a new leader begins today, led by owner Arthur Blank and Rich McKay.
There is no shortage of intriguing candidates this hiring cycle, which should make this an exciting offseason for Falcons fans. Everyone is looking for the next Kyle Shanahan, making Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson one of the hottest coaching candidates in recent history. But Bobby Slowik, Frank Smith, and Eric Bienemy are also offensive minds to monitor during this process. All three of them could be given the reigns to an organization this offseason.
However, if the Falcons wanted to go in a different direction and still make a big splash, Bill Belichick has to be the most intriguing potential coaching candidate. The longtime Patriots head coach was instrumental in bringing New England six Super Bowls; however, underwhelming results since Tom Brady exited the organization have led to questions surrounding Belichick’s future in New England. As of now, he’s still the head coach of the Patriots, but if that changes, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini is reporting that the Falcons are a team that will be interested.
Bill Belichick is still the head coach in New England but the Atlanta Falcons are a team to watch if Belichick is available. They are interested, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 8, 2024
It would be hard to blame the Falcons for wanting Bill Belichick as their next head coach. He’s the greatest to ever do it and could surely help squeeze every bit of talent out of this team.
However, does Belichick really want to go to an organization that doesn’t have stability at the quarterback position, and how would he feel about not having control over personnel decisions? The Falcons aren’t a rebuilding team anymore, but they also don’t have a roster primed to win a Super Bowl next year. Belichick doesn’t appear to have many more years of coaching left, making it a wonky fit.
Still, money talks. If the Falcons hand Belichick a blank check, there are far less attractive destinations out there. Atlanta really is just a quarterback away from being a legit contender.
I would be all for bringing in Bill Belichick to be the next head coach, as long as it doesn’t require significant draft capital. However, his GM decisions over the last few years in New England have been questionable at best. There’s no way he should be allowed to make personnel decisions wherever he goes. If that’s something he demands, the Falcons would be fools to hire him.
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Photographer: Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire
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