Getty Bill Belichick already has "strong interest" from an NFC South franchise, following his exit from the New England Patriots.
He’s out as head coach of the New England Patriots, but Bill Belichick may not have to wait long to land his next gig. Not based on reports NFC South franchise the Atlanta Falcons have “strong interest” in hiring the six-time Super Bowl winner.
The reports come from ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler. They provided details on Wednesday, January 10, one day before Belichick officially parted ways with the Pats after 24 seasons at the helm.
Atlanta canned Arthur Smith on January 9, and the Falcons “will have strong interest in Bill Belichick,” according to Graziano. Significantly, the latter has “also been told people close to Belichick believe it would be a good fit for him.”
Graziano’s report is endorsed by Fowler, who confirmed, “that’s the sense I get with Belichick, too. Heard some of those Falcons rumblings and didn’t quite buy them at first, but there appears to be some traction.”
Those reports add to growing chatter Belichick could swap life in New England for a stint in the NFC South. The exact same path trod by Tom Brady when he left the Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, accelerating the rapid end of the Belichick era at Gillette Stadium.
There’s further irony thanks to the Falcons being victims of arguably Belichick’s most famous victory. It came in the Super Bowl following the 2016 season, when Brady and the Patriots reversed a 28-3 deficit to break Falcons hearts in overtime and claim a fifth Lombardi Trophy.
Using odds from DraftKings, Ricky Henne of ActionNetwork.com revealed the Falcons are +350 to be coached by Belichick next season. Those odds could improve if the Falcons firm up their interest now Belichick’s a free agent.
Bill Belichick Joining the Atlanta Falcons Has Merit
Belichick landing in the South has been heavily mooted in recent days. On Thursday, January 4, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson revealed as much: “I’m told there are teams within the NFC South with potential interest.”
There’s a lot of merit to the idea of Belichick heading to Atlanta. He’d inherit a competitive roster in need of fine tuning rather than a major overhaul, following three-straight 7-10 finishes.
Issues at quarterback might make Belichick wary. Especially given his inability to replace Brady in New England. Yet, the Falcons have a stronger supporting cast than the Patriots, thanks to running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, along with tight end Kyle Pitts, as well as wide receiver Drake London.
There’s also the added bonus of the South being a weak division, ripe for the taking. The Bucs claimed the crown this season, but hardly wowed audiences with a 9-8 record.
Belichick would surely fancy beating the rebuilding Carolina Panthers and ageing Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints teams to the punch next season. He built a good portion of his legacy with the Patriots through ruthless exploitation of weak competition in the AFC East.
Perhaps the main reason Belichick would welcome working for the Falcons concerns ownership. It’s a benefit spelled out by Graziano: “It’s in a relatively calm market where he could be all about the football. And he’d have a team owner who doesn’t meddle in day-to-day affairs.”
Getting back to solely focusing on his role as a football coach is the best way for Belichick to salvage his legacy after the damage done by his final years in New England. Similarly, the Patriots will benefit from no longer being beholding to one man having total control.
Patriots Need Fresh Start After Bill Belichick
Creating a clean break between Belichick and the Patriots has been on the mind of team owner Robert Kraft for a while. In fact, Kraft had settled on severing ties with Belichick as early as Week 10, following a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Munich.
Kraft knows the Pats need a fresh start after just one playoff appearance in four years, a dismal run culminating in this season’s 4-13 finish. There are holes all over the roster, but the Patriots will still have plenty of candidates to choose from to replace Belichick.
He leaves behind one of the NFL’s elite defenses. The unit ranked seventh in yards allowed, and is underpinned by talented youngsters like defensive tackle Christian Barmore, outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings and cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
It’s obvious where the Patriots need help, so it would make sense for the next head coach to possess a strong background on offense. More important could be who gets control of the front office.
Belichick made personnel decisions, but his recent record left a lot to be desired, per Steve Buckley of The Athletic: “Since 2013, not a single player drafted by the Patriots in the first three rounds has been re-signed.”
Prolonged ineptitude made it easy to say goodbye to Belichick, even though Kraft wished the 71-year-old success elsewhere, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
#Patriots owner Robert Kraft: What Bill has done will never be repeated. It’ll be difficult to see him in a cutoff hoodie on another sideline. I wish him success except when he’s coaching against our beloved Patriots.”
The Patriots won’t get back to winning ways if they let the next coach have the same inviolate authority over roster construction.