The announcement tore through the NFL social media universe faster than Taylor Swift doing some variation of swag surfing at Arrowhead Stadium. Words that seemed unthinkable, now blaring on X (but, alas, not on MyFace, YourFace, SnapFace or InstantFace): Bill Belichick had interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons for their coaching vacancy.
Surely the Hoodie himself never saw that news on any social media platforms, including those he has invented over the years. In any case, the idea struck many around the league as a somewhat preposterous coupling: arguably the greatest coach in NFL history (who has enjoyed a run of salary-cap-era greatness never to be seen again) paired with a franchise with no history of winning big (and almost none of coming particularly close) that is coming off a season in which it couldn’t win consistently even in the lowly NFC South.
Conversations with two general managers, two well-connected personnel executives and three coaching agents — none representing Belichick but with multiple clients being interviewed in this cycle — revealed sturdy skepticism that Belichick would be donning a Falcons sweatshirt with ripped-off sleeves anytime soon. However, none of the seven — who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they need to maintain relationships in the league — was surprised that Belichick would meet with an owner such as Arthur Blank. Still chasing Don Shula’s career wins mark, Belichick could be determining his market value and price point at a time when more head coaching jobs are expected to open on top of the seven existing vacancies.
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And of all the current and potential options, the seven individuals all believed one made the most sense for Belichick entering his age-72 season: the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, it wasn’t all that close. They believed both that Belichick would fit best in Philadelphia of all the potential destinations and that this was the kind of bold move Eagles GM Howie Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie would make in pursuit of another Lombardi Trophy as soon as possible.
“It sounds like what you’re really asking me is if [Roseman and Lurie] would blow out Nick Sirianni to hire Bill f---ing Belichick,” said one longtime coaching agent who is involved in this hiring cycle. “I think we all know the answer to that. It even sounds kind of silly when framed that way, right? …
“There are a lot of shared values between [the Patriots and Eagles]. Howie can fill in a lot of Bill’s blanks from a personnel standpoint. It’s the NFC East, where Bill came from [as a former Giants assistant]. He brings with him instant gravitas. It’s outdoor football. That is a far better roster than these other options.”
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Said one GM: “If you’re Howie and you do this one year after this guy took you to the Super Bowl, you have to be making a splash. Hiring Belichick would be the ultimate splash. That feels like a total Howie move, doesn’t it?”
That pairing also made sense to a longtime personnel executive whose team is in the market for assistant coaches and who is plugged into the coaching landscape. “Howie is looking for every edge he can find to try to win a Super Bowl every year. So is Bill,” he said. “I actually think they are aligned in more ways than they are foreign. We’re talking about a marriage of two to three years here. It’s a sprint. I honestly think it would work very effectively.”
Said another top coaching agent: “Philadelphia is best suited for him — I totally agree with that. We’re also looking at a super high price tag, but I don’t think [Lurie] would flinch at that.”
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The people I spoke with also saw a path for Belichick to remain involved with the Eagles’ operation beyond a potential coaching stint.
What the Falcons want
I previously reported in this space that the Falcons would prize coaching experience in their search, and it seems clear through the first week of the process that they are likely to be headed in that direction, with five of their candidates (including Belichick) having served as a head coach.
I also reported that this was shaping up to be a year in which defensive candidates were finally given a bigger opportunity to compete for these positions, and the Falcons’ search is a portal into that dynamic: Eight of their 12 reported interviews or interview requests are with coaches on the defensive side of the ball. Several of the insiders I spoke with threw a dart in the direction of Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as the ultimate coach in Atlanta. He had a stint there as an interim coach in 2020, was once a wunderkind head coach in the NFC South with Tampa Bay — from which he has ties with Atlanta CEO Rich McKay — and Sean McVay, the universally respected Rams coach, is strongly advocating for him.
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“They want someone who has done it before,” said the second coaching agent, who does not represent Morris but does have a client in the Falcons’ mix. “I get the feeling [Morris] left there on good terms, and he knows that division. I think he’d be bringing [Rams offensive coordinator] Mike LaFleur with him to run the offense, which Arthur and Rich would probably be good with.”
The longtime executive called Morris “more than worthy of a second chance to be a head coach. I think Atlanta makes the most sense for him.”
Mike LaFleur worked under Kyle Shanahan running the Falcons’ offense in the 2016 season, when Matt Ryan won an MVP award and they nearly beat Belichick in the Super Bowl. Reaching back into that Shanahan-McVay tree might be in order.
Notes from around the league
The two names I heard the most regarding the Seahawks job were Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, a longtime defensive coordinator in Seattle, and former Titans coach Mike Vrabel. “Vrabel and [Seahawks GM John] Schneider are pretty close,” a longtime personnel executive said. “They could work really well together, and they are kind of in a similar spot in their careers when you think about it. If it’s not Quinn and they want to go outside the Pete Carroll coaching tree, I think Vrabel is the guy.” Two coaching agents mentioned Vrabel and Seattle as well. …
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All seven of the individuals I spoke with agreed that the Los Angeles Chargers will hire an offensive-minded coach and figured quarterback Justin Herbert would be at the center of any decision they made. The question is whether they would meet Jim Harbaugh’s price tag for his entire staff, which could be record-setting. …
The consensus from my conversations was that a young offensive coordinator such as Brian Callahan of the Bengals or Bobby Slowik of the Texans will wind up with Carolina, with owner David Tepper expected to strike out on landing Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for a second straight year. The people I talked with believed Johnson will be hired by the Washington Commanders. …
The Titans and Slowik are also a strong potential match. However, “after what [Slowik’s offense] just did to [Browns defensive coordinator] Jim Schwartz, he doesn’t need to take the worst job available,” as one of the executives put it. “Slowik can do better than that.”
This analysis was updated after Wednesday night’s announcement that the Dallas Cowboys would not be changing their coach.
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