Falcons reportedly pass on Bill Belichick as list of suitors dries up

Bill Belichick is reportedly back to square one on the free-agent market.

Bill Belichick could be out of a job during the 2024 NFL season. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)

January 25, 2024

2 minutes to read

Bill Belichick is reportedly back to square one on the free agent market.

Despite conducting two interviews with Belichick last week, the Falcons are reportedly passing on the future Hall-of-Famer — with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting on Thursday evening that Atlanta plans to hire Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their next head coach.

With the Falcons opting for Morris, there stands a legitimate possibility that Belichick will be out of a job during this latest coaching hiring cycle.

The Carolina Panthers hired Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales for their head-coaching position earlier on Thursday, with the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks standing as the final two NFL teams without a head coach.

Belichick has not formally interviewed for any other head-coaching vacancy as of Thursday. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport tweeted shortly after the Morris news broke that Belichick could sit out the 2024 season and await new opportunities in 2025.

For most of last week, Belichick was tabbed the frontrunner for the Falcons’ coaching gig. Along with his two interviews with Atlanta, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweeted last week that she expected Belichick to be named the next Falcons coach, barring any significant changes.

But earlier this week, The Athletic’s Josh Kendall reported that Belichick’s candidacy “lost momentum.”

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweeted Thursday that Atlanta owner Arthur Blank was initially “targeting” Belichick. “He was then open to listening to others ideas. Some internal persuasion, impressive interviews, and here we are,” Russini posted on X.

In total, the Falcons interviewed 14 different candidates for their head-coaching vacancy — including top targets like Mike Vrabel, Jim Harbaugh, Aaron Glenn, Morris, Ben Johnson, and Bobby Slowik before handing Morris a contract.

Morris’ hiring in Atlanta could have some ramifications for the Patriots. NFL on CBS insider Jonathan Jones reported Thursday that Rams passing game coordinator and QB coach Zac Robinson could join Morris in Atlanta and take over as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2024.

Robinson reportedly interviewed for the Patriots’ OC position earlier this week.

Thursday’s news is a surprising development for Belichick, who sits just 15 victories away from breaking Don Shula’s all-time head coaching wins record.

Even with Belichick’s draft miscues and personnel blunders over the last few seasons in New England, he’s still regarded as one of the best strategists and defensive minds in the game — boasting a resume that would seemingly entice many owners looking for a change on the sideline.

On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted that teams might be hesitant to hire Belichick if he’s adamant about a featured role in roster decisions — as was the case with the Patriots.

“I remember asking around in the fall about what the market would be for Belichick, and the answer, pretty uniformly, was that there would be a market for the greatest coach of all-time, even at 71 years old (he’ll be 72 in April),” Breer wrote. “But a lot of those takes came with a caveat: Teams would love to have Belichick as a coach, but that the trouble could be if landing him required a lot more than that.

“Would another team hand him control over the roster after how the Patriots have sputtered post–Tom Brady? Would an ownership group pledge to hand the keys to the coach, and stay out of the way? These are the sorts of questions that could shift market conditions.”