Famously, only one HC-needy team — the Falcons — conducted a formal interview with Bill Belichick this offseason. While Belichick is believed to have also had reservations about the Atlanta power structure, he was interested in the job and had hoped to land a third head coaching position this offseason.
The 24-year Patriots leader was prepared enough for another opportunity he had a coaching staff in place, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. While Belichick was under consideration for the Atlanta job, a rumor about the six-time Super Bowl-winning HC having spoken to some of his former staffers about Falcons roles surfaced. It appears Belichick may have been even further along on this road.
Coaches organize staffs during the interview process, with the Rooney Rule only applying to coordinator positions. And it is certainly interesting Belichick had done so. Though, given the Super Bowl mainstay’s legendary attention to detail, it is not exactly surprising he had a group ready to go in the event he landed a job in the wake of his Patriots separation/dismissal.
Longtime Belichick lieutenants Josh McDaniels, Joe Judge and Matt Patricia were viewed by some around the league as likely to follow the NFL’s second-winningest coach were he to have ended up with a job during this year’s cycle. That trio, given the Patriots’ post-Tom Brady stumbles, may not have been especially appealing to an owner. And Belichick ended up speaking with only the Falcons and Commanders about positions. Washington’s new ownership group did not formally interview Belichick. After two Falcons meetings — the first with Arthur Blank, the second with a larger group — Belichick ended up losing out to Raheem Morris.
Issues involving a potential clash between Belichick and Falcons brass, including president Rich McKay and GM Terry Fontenot, were rumored to have been part of the reason the team went in another direction. But Blank said earlier this offseason Belichick did not ask for personnel power during the interview process. While the veteran’s football knowledge and experience would have presented a complication for McKay and Fontenot in a setup in which a coach-only role was in the offing, the Patriots’ drafts and decisions of the past few years — the Patricia-as-OC 2022 move standing out — did not reflect well on Belichick.
But Breer adds Belichick was fine ceding personnel control at his next stop. With the 11-time Super Bowl HC/DC planning to revisit a coaching push in 2025, that will be relevant. It will be fascinating to see how teams navigate a pursuit of Belichick in a coaching-only role, given his 24-year run overseeing all football matters in New England. And Belichick’s age (72 on Tuesday) will naturally be an issue (as it was for the Falcons), as no team has hired a head coach older than 66 in NFL history. But this will continue to be a key NFL storyline, one that will make certain coaching situations — particularly a few in the NFC East — of particular interest.
I know that we have differing opinions regarding Belichick’s history, but I think objectively we can all agree that his coaching resume was much stronger than his management resume. For that reason, I think that it would have answered a lot of questions to have been able to see a coaching focused Belichick, even in his later years, land a job for a few years.
I would still have concerns, but I do know at least one thing: if it came down to picking between Belichick and Rich McKay, I know which I’d prefer.
Everyone bashes Belichick for Patriots roster but have you seen it now? Burning cash? On who? The have a ton of cap space available and they signed no notable free agents.
The payroll has been low for years. Kraft seems pretty tight with spending unless it is something he can take credit for.
My guess is next year the wheels fall completely off the wagon. No happy endings here. The fans can push and pull and tug but that job is too difficult. They can yank that crank but 2-15 seems reasonable. They can beat that point into the ground but Kraft will still be have others pulling the trigger.
The wheels completely fell off last autumn. Having a home game vs. Kansas City flexed out of Monday Night Football was the biggest ignominy.
Jets and Giants are garbage. Even you know that.
Kraft is the total schmuck to be blamed. He thinks the 6 rings were all him. How inane.
Yeah craft is an absolute ingrate. 20 years of success and a few down years towards the end. Bill spoiled crept so much that the man’s never been used to losing. But craft to find out it’s not easy to build a six-time Super Bowl winning team. I just feel bad because Bill finally got in a position through his brains and Maneuvers where the Pats were going to have a top five draft pick and money to spend. And all the Belichick GM haters softly hard to pick good players when you never picked top 10 of the draft and I don’t know almost three decades
Funny how they said they are going to spend money this year, which they never did with BB, and move away from how BB did things. Now what cracks me up, it was all bs. They arent spending money, and they are doing things how BB was. Which goes to show it wasnt all BB. They just used him as a scapegoat. It always was and always will come down to the Krafts. They had and have the final say. They wouldnt let BB do what he wanted. They wouldnt let him spend, so he could only do what he had to work with, which wasnt much. It worked when they had Brady and were winning when ppl wanted to play here, but wo Brady and ppl not taking less to play here for a chance to win, wo spending money there was nothing he could do. Pi$$es me off everyone tried to blame and throw shame on BB when its really the Krafts that deserve to get blamed.
He was done dirty by Rich McKay. And the Falcons will be worse for it.
He wasnt done dirty. BB turned the job down. Like the article says its rumors. The thing about rumors, they arent often true.
Think Belichek would be great coach for 1 of military academies. His Dad coached @Navy and he’s familiar w/program. Alas, the allure of becoming nfl’s all-time winningest coach will be too much.
Arthur Blank should have booted McKay and the other guy for BB. Very stupid move.
Exactly! What is McKay done in the past 20 plus years? Slightly above mediocrity. At Arthur blank’s age he should have been willing to change the direction of the franchise in a heartbeat big mistake. And I don’t want to hear anything about bills of personnel decisions the man hasn’t had a top 10 draft pick in almost 30 years
Jerry Jones on line 1
You know, I could see that happening next year, if all remains the same. I think that might be the most likely scenario as we sit here today.
To be VERY clear, I’m not talking about whether this would be the right or the wrong decision. Belichick would have to probably still give up personnel power. You figure that he’ll need more than a year to make changes and evaluate the team, and having a coach nearing 80 is a risky trail to tread, no matter who that coach is. And, whatever we think of McCarthy, the Cowboys have had good records under him, so they’d have to exceed simply “being good” for it to pay off. At thd same time, you get the sense that Jones is itching to force a push forward from where he’s at now-remember, there were whispers, be they true or false, about a Brady-Cowboys interest a while ago. So, while I think right now that that could be likely next year, it’ll still be a delicate path to walk.
Yup, thats what i thinks going to happen. Bill turned down the job in ATL. I think because hes going to be in Dallas next year
There’s no substitute for experience and knowledge. What you trade for that is having someone on a learning curve. They may have all the other skills- leadership, management, etc. But there’s no faking real experience and knowledge. Item 2- what does age have to do with it? Belichick isn’t some feeble old guy who needs to be led around by the hand. 72 is just a number. But I understand. I’m 73 and unable to land a job for which I’m most qualified for based on experience and knowledge. The only reason standing in the way is my age, which they can’t use because it’s discrimination. Good luck Bill. You’re the Best.
Great post. I’ve been a Belichick fan my entire life. There’s some real fickle folks in Boston and a lot of young people we either have no memories or very short memories. Everybody gets on Bill for his draft picks recently but the guy hasn’t had a top 10 pick and 25 years give me a break
I would love to see Bill Belichick with the New York Giants.
Belichick has nothing to worry about as long as arty! remains his #1 fan.
Farty is a gas bag
Yeah I am an admitted Bill Belichick fan. I don’t care what happened the past two or three seasons the man’s resumes impeccable. People want to rip on him for his GM decisions well tell me the last time the Patriots had a top 10 draft pick in the past two and a half decades? Thanks for listening
Thats the thing about rumors. They usually arent true. Belichick turned down the job in ATL
Christ I hope Kraft sells the team before he dies. His moron son is a disaster. The reason they’re being cheap, imo, is they know damned well Mayo isn’t gonna last and don’t want to lock themselves into his team.
Sell the team to Tommy and Gronk as front men, Henry and Jacobs would probably jump at it too.