Bill Belichick Rumors: How Coach Felt About Not Landing Falcons Job

Bill Belichick was intrigued by the Falcons enough to interview twice with Atlanta after leaving the New England Patriots.

But when Arthur Blank and company ultimately decided to go in a different direction at head coach, Belichick apparently didn’t dwell on the verdict.

According to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, Belichick “wasn’t necessarily crestfallen” when the Falcons hired Raheem Morris to replace Arthur Smith. The 71-year-old didn’t claim any of the head coaching vacancies outside of Foxboro, Mass., in recent weeks and he probably will have to wait until 2025 for his next opportunity to return to the sideline.

Fowler added more context to Belichick’s candidacy in Atlanta, where the future Pro Football Hall of Famer reportedly wasn’t prepared to “bulldoze” the front office. Blank claimed as much Friday when he revealed the Patriots legend didn’t request complete personnel control when he spoke with team brass about the coaching opening.

Not landing the Falcons job and being out of the league for a season might prove to be beneficial to Belichick, who seemingly didn’t waver from tunnel vision across his 24-year Patriots tenure. A year off could allow Belichick to take in the NFL from a different perspective and thus make him a more appealing candidate next year.

Insiders anticipate Belichick becoming a coveted commodity, too. In fact, the coaching icon could draw serious interest from a few of the league’s most storied organizations.