A recent report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shed new light on how things went off the tracks in the interview process between former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and the Atlanta Falcons.
Things initially appeared to be going smoothly between the two sides to the point where the Falcons’ job was the only one Belichick interviewed for after parting ways with New England.
But then the team shockingly announced their decision to hire former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as the head coach.
The factors that led to Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, being left out in the cold weren’t his fault as much as it was the circumstances that would be required to bring him into the fold.
Per Breer, Falcons owner Arthur Blank heard the concerns of those around him regarding the change that could come with Belichick, who would obviously be limited in the number of years left in his coaching career.
Breer wrote:
My understanding is Blank went into the process wanting to hire Belichick as coach. But those around the owner, fearing what that could mean for them, nudged him in different directions. After a while, the amount of change hiring Belichick could require weighed on Blank. Especially when taking into consideration that making that amount of change might only get him two years of Belichick.
The situation wasn’t feasible from the Falcons’ perspective to uproot things for a 71-year-old coach.
Does that mean another opportunity couldn’t open for Belichick? Not at all. It would just take special circumstances. As Breer notes, a team in contention that could be molded into Belichick’s vision makes the most sense.
Whether that’s a team like the Philadelphia Eagles or Dallas Cowboys will be something to watch over the next year.
