What Ex-Falcons GM Thinks Of Bill Belichick’s Fit In Atlanta

It appears Bill Belichick is on his way to the Atlanta Falcons, and the big focus will be how the former New England Patriots head coach fits with a new front office and owner Arthur Blank.

If Belichick does become the new head coach of the Falcons, he might bring in familiar faces along with him. The 71-year-old reportedly is scheduled for a second interview with Atlanta this week, this time in a group setting after his reported one-on-one meeting with Blank.

Thomas Dimitroff has experience working with Belichick when the pair crossed paths while at the Cleveland Browns. He rejoined Belichick as a national scout with the Patriots in 2002 before he became New England’s director of college scouting from 2003-07. He left the Patriots to become the Falcons’ general manager from 2008 until 2020.

That gives Dimitroff a unique perspective on the Falcon’s pursuit of Belichick when he was on “Up & Adams” on Thursday.

“In my mind, there’s no question that Arthur Blank, I think still, (is) one of the best owners in the league, having all the experience he has, what he gives to the team financially, what he gives to the head coach and provides. That is a big, big deal,” Dimitroff told Kay Adams. “A lot of people think, ‘Oh, wow, would he really gel with Bill, with all of Bill’s strong opinions about how he wants to come in?’ One hundred percent, I think they will. I have no inside information. I want to be very clear about that. What I do know is I’ve worked with both men. I know both men have unbelievable knowledge and insight that they bring to the table from where they’re coming. One from a head coaching position, one from an owner’s position.”

The Dallas Cowboys ruled themselves out of the running for Belichick when they decided to retain Mike McCarthy, and there wasn’t another team actively pursuing Belichick before the report of his second meeting with Atlanta.

The Patriots will play the Falcons during the 2025 season.