Why the Falcons reportedly passed on Bill Belichick and hired Raheem Morris
The former Patriots head coach was reportedly a strong favorite for the job, but his candidacy seemed to lose steam.
Bill Belichick seemed to be a heavy favorite to be the next head coach of the Falcons, interviewing with the team twice in just over a week after his departure with the Patriots.
But that didn’t come to fruition, as the Falcons named Raheem Morris their next head coach on Thursday. As many wonder why Belichick didn’t get the job in Atlanta, the two sides hit a “crossroads” over just how much power the former Patriots head coach would have within the Falcons’ organization, Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson reported.
The Falcons and owner Arthur Blank would have needed to agree to a realignment structure that would’ve helped “maximize a Belichick hire,” according to Robinson.
“While Blank and Belichick apparently never discussed a detailed plan of how a linear chain of command under the head coach would work, the source said meetings with Blank crystalized Belichick’s continued belief that the full scope of football operations, personnel and coaching should be under his decision-making umbrella,” Robinson wrote.
Belichick seeking that kind of power mirrored the control he had within the Patriots over their 24 seasons as head coach. He also served as the de facto general manager over his stint in New England.
But Belichick holding that much power as a head coach in the league is unusual. No other coach in the league also currently serves as the team’s general manager or de facto head of football operations. A head coach holding both roles and having success is also rare, with the 33rd Team’s Jeff Diamond noting in October that Belichick is the only one to have great success in both roles since Bill Walsh in the 1980s.
Of course, the Belichick-run Patriots have slipped in recent years. They haven’t had desirable results in the draft, failing to sign a player they’ve selected in the first three rounds of the draft to a second contract since they gave 2013 third-round pick Duron Harmon an extension in 2017. The poor draft results, along with other decisions, led the Patriots to have a losing season in three of the last four years and finish 4-13 in 2023.
Unlike some other teams with head coaching vacancies, the Falcons also already have a general manager in place. Terry Fontenot was kept on as the team’s general manager for a fourth season. They also retained CEO Rick McKay although Fontenot and Morris will report to Blank, the team announced.
Belichick was the first candidate to interview with the Falcons twice, holding his second interview on Jan. 19. Even though reports and betting odds signaled that Belichick was the strong favorite to land the job, the Falcons continued their search in the following days, interviewing a handful of candidates a second time. They interviewed a total of 14 candidates for the role.
The Falcons’ decision to pass on Belichick makes it seem likely that the former Patriots head coach won’t be a head coach for an NFL team in 2024. He hasn’t interviewed with the Seahawks and Commanders, who are the only two other teams with a head coaching vacancy.
Belichick turns 72 in April.
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