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New England Patriots former head coach Bill Belichick. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Falcons may be second-guessing their pursuit of Bill Belichick

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 1/22/24

Expected to be the hottest free agent on the head-coaching market, Bill Belichick has interviewed with just one team since parting ways with the New England Patriots.

The Atlanta Falcons have spoken with Belichick twice regarding their head-coaching vacancy, but the team may now be pumping the brakes in its pursuit of Belichick, according to Peter King of NBC Sports.

“The Falcons must be thinking, ‘If we hold Belichick in high regard, why does no other team?’” King wrote. “He’s had no other interviews, at least not any we know of. It’s weird. Maybe teams sniffing around coaches don’t think hiring a soon-to-be 72-year-old guy regardless of resume is such a good idea.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter echoed the same sentiment during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday morning.

“Why would there not be more teams that are interested in Bill Belichick?” Schefter said. “It’s just odd to me. It was odd with Brady [when only two teams were interested in him when he was a free agent], it’s odd with Belichick.”

"The Falcons are the only team so far that has engaged in heavy conversations with Bill Belichick..

That's crazy to me but right now that's the reality" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/JD6miGMHdX
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 22, 2024

Multiple reports over the last week-and-a-half indicated that Belichick to Atlanta was all but a done deal.

However, the team has cast a wide net in its search for Arthur Smith’s replacement, interviewing 12 candidates in addition to Belichick including:

Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald
Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach Anthony Weaver
Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady
Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero
Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik
Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh
Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks

Atlanta is also scheduled to interview former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel on Wednesday, per ABC TV’s Zach Klein.

“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 added. “Now the question is: Will he get one at all? Seems the Falcons are open to opening up this search after two meetings with the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach.”

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