Report: Bill Belichick has ‘lost momentum’ for Falcons job opening
"At the very least, the Belichick candidacy has lost momentum in the past week."
Bill Belichick has interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons twice, and appears to be a serious candidate for the franchise’s head coach opening.
CBS Sports’s Josina Anderson tweeted last week that she expected Belichick to be named the next Falcons coach, barring any significant changes.
On Tuesday afternoon, The Athletic’s Josh Kendall reported that Belichick’s candidacy has “lost momentum.”
“At the very least, the Belichick candidacy has lost momentum in the past week,” Kendall wrote. “With multiple league sources telling The Athletic that assuming it’s “Belichick or bust” is inaccurate.”
ESPN’s Michael Rothstein wrote that Atlanta’s coaching search is wide open, with a second interview with Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh coming up.
In addition to Belichick and Harbaugh, the Falcons have interviewed the following candidates according to The Athletic: Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Ravens assistant head coach Anthony Weaver, Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
Kendall reports that more interviews will be announced as the week goes on, and that the search may not be done by the end of the week.
“The Falcons apparently were impressed with the Ravens’ Macdonald and Weaver and the Lions’ Johnson and Glenn,” Kendall wrote. “And they have requested second interviews with Macdonald and Weaver, according to NFL Network. If any of that affinity turns into an actual job, that announcement wouldn’t be made until after the Super Bowl if that coach’s team advances past the conference championship games.”
Earlier in the week, NBC Sports’ Peter King noted that Belichick hasn’t taken any other interviews besides his two with the Falcons.
“I believe we’ve all assumed Belichick was going to get a high-quality job, or at least, in the case of the Falcons, a decent job,” King said. “Now the question is: Will he get one at all?”
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