Why Rob Gronkowski Believes Falcons Didn’t Hire Bill Belichick

Rob Gronkowski believes Atlanta would have been the “best” destination for Bill Belichick after he left the New England Patriots.

But despite holding two interviews with the legendary head coach, the Falcons decided to go in a different direction to replace Arthur Smith.

Atlanta hired Raheem Morris instead of Belichick, who ultimately didn’t claim any of the seven head coaching vacancies in this year’s cycle. Gronkowski, a Patriots star under Belichick for nearly a decade, believes he knows why his former coach wasn’t hired in Atlanta.

“I feel like what happened is that I don’t think that the Atlanta Falcons organization wanted to give up that much power and give all the decisions to Coach Belichick,” Gronkowski recently said, per FOX News. “Other than that, I think Coach Belichick would have been the perfect fit.”

Gronkowski might be right. Falcons owner Arthur Blank reportedly wanted to hire Belichick but feared the potential avalanche of change the latter might’ve signaled if hired. The 71-year-old’s “frosty relationship” with Atlanta president Rich McKay reportedly was an impediment as well.

It’s tough to imagine Belichick will dwell on the Falcons’ decision, though. He now can take a year off after working tirelessly as a head coach for over two decades and should be in position to field more appealing opportunities next year.