Getty Bill Belichick announcing his departure from the New England Patriots.
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is responsible for one of the biggest heartbreaks in Atlanta Falcons history.
Now, Atlanta is considering its version of the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” policy.
With rumors swirling that Belichick could be a candidate to succeed Mike McCarthy as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, the Falcons announced Monday night on their team social media channels that they had interviewed Belichick for their head coaching vacancy. It marked the first reported head coaching job interview by Belichick since his departure from New England last week.
We have interviewed Bill Belichick for our head coach opening
Belichick and the New England Patriots are infamous in Falcons history because of the misery they inflected on Atlanta when the Tom Brady-led Patriots overcame a 28-3 deficit to beat Atlanta in overtime in Super Bowl LI after the 2016 season. The game marked the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.
It also marked the fifth of six Super Bowl titles that New England won under Belichick, who announced January 11 that he and the Patriots were parting ways after 24 seasons. Belichick led a dynasty in New England that included nine Super Bowl appearances, 17 AFC East titles, 266 regular season wins, and 30 playoff wins.
He still has Don Shula‘s all-time wins record on the horizon, and Belichick has indicated that he wants to keep coaching. Shula, the late longtime head coach of the Miami Dolphins, posted 347 career wins.
For Belichick, he has 333 career wins, which were harder to come by after the departure of Brady in 2020. Belichick needs 15 wins to eclipse Shula, which could take more than one season depending on the next destination.
Atlanta went 7-10 this past season, and the team has a young roster with quarterback Desmond Ridder under center.
Commanders, Chargers Also Interested in Bill Belichick
There are multiple teams thought to be potential suitors, including the Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Chargers, both of whom have coaching vacancies. The Chargers recently had one big-name interview with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh on Monday.
The Commanders, meanwhile, had an ironic name come up on the coaching interview radar — Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. He notably coached the Falcons against Belichick in that Super Bowl loss.
Bill Belichick to Cowboys Rumors Still Stewing
Then there’s Dallas, where McCarthy’s job status is in question following an embarrassing blowout loss, 48-32, at home to the Green Bay Packers January 14 on Wild Card Weekend. Belichick knows Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and that could make an intriguing landing spot for the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach.
Dallas has seen minimal postseason success since the turn of the century after three Super Bowl wins in the 1990s. Belichick could take over a loaded roster if he chose Dallas and possibly end the nearly 30-year title drought.
If Dallas fires McCarthy, it would mark the only playoff team with a head coaching vacancy. If Belichick then joined the Cowboys, it would mark an additional big change for the longtime coach.
Since his coaching career began in 1975, Belichick hasn’t coached for an NFC team since 1990 when he served on the New York Giants staff. Belichick won two Super Bowl rings with the Giants during his time as an assistant.