NFL Insider Puzzled As To Why Teams Passed On Bill Belichick

After parting ways with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick’s job market diminished, leaving him on the outside looking in as the remaining NFL head coaching vacancies have been filled.

Though he is not currently set to roam the sidelines for the 2024 season, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport believes that several teams will start the year with “coaches in precarious positions,” setting the stage for in-season changes such as Belichick and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.

For now, the power that Belichick would have demanded based on his precedent in New England left him without a new NFL home, for now.

“He has thrived in a system in New England that is built around him being the center,” Rapoport shared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday. “Him having final say. Him arranging the personnel department as he sees fit. If he went to Atlanta, he would want to do it the same way because that’s the way he’s had success.”

Despite the hoops teams may have needed to jump through to land the legendary head coach, Rapoport still believes hiring Belichick should have been the decision for a team that had an opening.

“There would’ve been some changes,” Rapoport added. “It would’ve taken a lot to hire Bill Belichick. I would say Bill Belichick is the greatest coach of all time, so somebody should’ve hired him. I have a hard time understanding how this all happened, even if I take a look at each individual hire.”

As the 2024 season gets underway in September, Belichick will be lurking as seats begin to warm for other coaches around the league.