NFL Rumors: Why Bill Belichick Rejected These Two NFC Teams

After Bill Belichick parted with the Patriots, the prevailing assumption was he'd look to join an established contender. After all, at 71 years old, the legendary head coach is running out of time to win another Super Bowl and/or break Don Shula's all-time wins record.

But Belichick reportedly has different priorities. And those priorities resulted in his favoring the Falcons over the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.

"Although Belichick to Atlanta is not done yet, there's buzz around the league that it's moving in that direction," ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reported Thursday. "As one league source explained it, Belichick is believed to be done with 'big-market media,' making him more inclined to go to a place like Atlanta than Dallas or Philadelphia.

"As to the Cowboys and the Eagles, there's also a belief in some league circles that both teams expressed interest in Belichick, that Belichick didn't reciprocate, and that those teams then decided to stick with their current coaches."

The Cowboys and Eagles both suffered disappointing first-round playoff losses.

Soon afterward, Dallas announced it would retain head coach Mike McCarthy. Nick Sirianni's future in Philly wasn't clear as of Friday afternoon, but there also weren't any reports indicating the Eagles would fire their head coach.

If Florio's reporting is accurate, McCarthy and Siranni keeping their jobs might be a byproduct of Belichick avoiding big-market franchises.

Belichick met twice with the Falcons earlier this week and reportedly has another interview scheduled for this weekend. All signs point toward the future Hall of Famer eventually landing in the NFC South, like Tom Brady before him.