Bill Belichick Linked To This Potential Head-Coaching Vacancy

Could Bill Belichick wind up coaching the team he beat in Super Bowl LI? That possibility was floated ahead of what could be his final game with the Patriots.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith could be on shaky ground if his team loses its season finale Sunday, and Belichick's "name has come up frequently in connection with Atlanta in conversations with league sources the past week," according to a report Sunday morning from NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.

That report aligned with one earlier in the week from CBS Sports' Josina Anderson, who relayed that multiple teams in the NFC South have "potential interest" in Belichick. The other presumably is the Carolina Panthers, who fired head coach Frank Reich in November and have been rumored as a potential suitor for Belichick.

The Falcons would be an intriguing opening if Smith is let go following a third straight sub-.500 season.

Their offense features recent high draft picks at wide receiver (Drake London), tight end (Kyle Pitts) and running back (Bijan Robinson), and a loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 18 could give them another top-10 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. The quarterback position is a major question mark, however, as neither Desmond Ridder nor Taylor Heinicke looked like the long-term answer this season.

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Atlanta remained alive for the NFC South title entering Sunday. Currently sitting at 7-9, Smith's squad would win the division and clinch a playoff spot if it beats the Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose to the last-place Carolina Panthers.

A Falcons win also would help the Patriots in a potential strength-of-schedule tiebreaker for 2024 draft positioning. New England's top pick can land anywhere from No. 2 to No. 5 depending on Sunday's results.

The 4-12 Patriots will close out their season against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. It remains unclear how the team plans to proceed with Belichick, who reportedly is scheduled to meet with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft on Monday.