Bill Belichick’s Final Option For 2024 Could Be His Best (And Wildest)

It sure looks like Bill Belichick won't have a coaching job for the 2024 NFL season, but what if his final option is the juiciest of them all?

The Atlanta Falcons on Thursday hired Raheem Morris as their new head coach. Morris beat out a host of qualified candidates, including Belichick, who had two meetings with the Falcons. According to reports, Belichick is unlikely to get either of the final two openings -- Seattle and Washington -- which means he could be home for an NFL season for the first time in decades.

But what if another job were to open in the coming days or weeks? There are four teams left vying for the Super Bowl. Job security isn't a concern for any of those coaches, but that doesn't mean one won't decide to walk away after their season comes to an end.

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The most obvious candidate in that regard? That would be Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. If Reid decided to call it a career, especially if he's able to win another Super Bowl, Belichick would make all the sense in the world to carry the torch in KC, no?

This isn't completely out of left field, either. ESPN's Adam Schefter willingly threw out the scenario earlier this week during an appearance on "Get Up."

"This is purely speculative, I want to be very clear and we're just throwing this out there, having some fun," Schefter stressed, "but we've heard over and over about the possibility that at some point in time, Andy Reid could walk away from football.

"So if the Chiefs were to win the Super Bowl this year, could that, would that, make him more likely to walk? And if he did walk, at that point in time, you're the Kansas City Chiefs and Bill Belichick is still out there, would that not be an interesting possibility?"

Schefter isn't the only one wondering the same thing. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said Wednesday on "The Rich Eisen Show" that he has been hearing rumblings about the Chiefs preparing for Reid's potential departure.

"There's enough that I've heard from enough people I completely trust over the last few weeks to make me think the Chiefs are at least thinking, 'What will we do if he retires?'" Florio said earlier this week. "I don't know if Belichick is a fit there, but there's only one Patrick Mahomes. If I wanted to catch (Tom) Brady and win a Super Bowl like he did after he left me (Belichick), I'll partner up with the guy determined to catch Brady with seven total in a heartbeat."

That would certainly add a new wrinkle to a discussion from this week's episode of "The Spread," NESN's football picks podcast, where NESN.com's Mike Cole and Ricky Doyle wondered whether Mahomes' Chiefs are in the process of running down Brady's Patriots.

One thing the guys clearly hadn't considered was the possibility of Belichick linking up with Mahomes. That certainly would complicate the calculus. Belichick would somehow get at least some credit for both dynasties, while Mahomes would get to fend off the rest of the NFL with Belichick on his sidelines this time around.

As both Florio and Schefter mentioned, it's probably not likely at all. Florio even said Washington offensive commander Eric Bieniemy might be the better option in a return to Kansas City.

But if it does break this way, it will become the biggest story not only this offseason but any offseason in a long, long time.