NFL
What other NFL teams interviewed Bill Belichick and why didn’t they hire him?
When his 24-year spell with the New England Patriots came to an end many assumed the six-time Super Bowl winner would bag another NFL job. They were wrong.
The most play-off wins of any NFL head coach. The most divisional championships of any head coach. The most Super Bowl wins of any NFL head coach.
When Bill Belichick left the New England Patriots after last season, many assumed that the legendary head coach would have little trouble finding a new team in the off-season. There were seven other teams with head coach vacancies heading into 2024 and Belichick looked like an obvious choice for any ambitious front office.
But as the days and weeks have ticked on, as the weather has warmed and the NFL Draft draws near, all seven of those head coach roles have been filled. Bill Belichick was offered none of them.
He interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons, twice meeting with team owner Arthur Blanks, but the job was given to former Falcons defensive coach and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, 25 years his senior. He was involved in talks with Washington about taking over the Commanders, but principal owner Josh Harris had misgivings about Belichick’s ability to work within their structure.
Why isn’t Bill Belichick coaching in NFL?
ESPN report that Belichick was confident of being given the job in Atlanta, believing that he was well-suited to coach this underperforming Falcons team. However Blank and members of the Falcons leadership group had made their decision with a vote, ranking the available candidates. Belichick did not even make the top three in any of their votes.
The market for NFL head coaches has changed dramatically since Belichick took over the New England Patriots in 2000, his most recent successful audition. Back then head coaches were given more freedom, allowed to act with greater autonomy than most owners are willing to countenance now.
During more than two decades at the helm Belichick had assumed significant control over personnel decisions and draft picks, key areas that are not normally the domain of the head coach. Belichick’s recent record in those decisions was far from perfect.
He allowed icon Tom Brady to depart in 2019, reportedly telling team owner Robert Kraft that Brady couldn’t play at the required level anymore. He went on to win his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That same year Belichick’s Round 1 draft pick was wide receiver N’Keal Harry, who averaged less than 20 receiving yards per game before being jettisoned from the Patriots’ roster for a Round 7 pick.
In short, it’s been a long time since Belichick landed an NFL job and, despite having achieved huge success since then, none of it has come in the past five years. Belichick will likely remain a top candidate for any teams looking for an experienced head coach to provide the missing ingredient for a talented, win-now roster, but none of the teams with coaching vacancies felt like he was what they needed for the 2024 season.