After 24 years in the AFC East, it appears that Bill Belichick could be heading south.
On Monday, the Atlanta Falcons announced that they interviewed Belichick for their vacant head coach position. Belichick, 71, still hopes to coach after agreeing to mutually part ways with Patriots owner Robert Kraft last week and it didn’t take long for another owner to reach out.
There is some history between Belichick and the Falcons.
Atlanta owner Arthur Blank saw firsthand what a Belichick-led team is capable of when the Patriots overcame a 28-3 deficit to beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. During that game, Blank went down to the field in the second half where he thought he’d see his team win a championship up close. Instead, he witnessed the Patriots overcome the biggest deficit in Super Bowl history.
When the Patriots received their Super Bowl rings, the team decided to put 283 diamonds in each one. That didn’t sit well with Blank, who told the New York Times that he complained to Kraft about the rings.
“I said to Robert, ‘You didn’t have to do the 28-3 in the ring,” Blank said. “It kind of pissed me off.”
Clearly, Blank doesn’t hold a grudge against Belichick. The interview on Monday marked Belichick’s first head coaching interview since 2000 when he eventually landed the job with the Patriots. After winning six Super Bowl titles, it felt obvious that Belichick would have some interest around the NFL.
The Falcons are searching for a new head coach after firing Arthur Smith after three straight losing seasons.
Atlanta has interviewed and requested a laundry list of other candidates:
Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and Ravens assistant head coach Anthony Weaver.
The Falcons are coming off three 7-10 seasons and it seems like their owner might be looking for an experienced head coach. Belichick would certainly give them that.
After Belichick and Kraft opted to part ways, the Falcons were one rumored team to be interested along with the Carolina Panthers. There are also rumors about Belichick going to Dallas in the event Cowboys owner Jerry Jones fired Mike McCarthy.
In the event Belichick heads to Atlanta, the Patriots might very well see their former coach. The Falcons are scheduled to visit Gillette Stadium during the 2025 NFL season. That year could coincide with Belichick passing Don Shula for the most coaching wins in NFL history.
Story by Mark Daniels, masslive.com
