FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons interviewed former Patriots coach Bill Belichick for their head coaching vacancy Sunday, according to the team.
Belichick is the franchise’s No. 1 target to replace Arthur Smith, who was fired last Monday after three seasons as head coach.
“The guy that (Falcons owner Arthur) Blank is going after is Bill,” a person familiar with the situation told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “I don’t think they’ll get Bill. Bill doesn’t want this job, but it might be ... (that if) he’s got no other options, and he wants to coach, he’ll take it.”
Belichick is the sixth candidate to interview for the job. The Falcons have also interviewed:
- 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks
- Ravens associate head coach/defensive line Anthony Weaver
- Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald
- Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.
- Panthers defensive coordinator Eijro Evero.
Three others have been requested for interviews:
- Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson,
- Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
- Raiders interim coach Antonio PIerce
Belichick, 71, who led the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, agreed to part ways with the franchise last Thursday — bringing an end to his 24-year tenure as the mastermind of the most decorated dynasty of the NFL’s Super Bowl era.
The Falcons, then under coach Dan Quinn, faced Belichick and the Patriots in Super Bowl 51 on Feb. 5, 2017. The Falcons built a 28-3 lead before the Patriots erased the largest deficit in Super Bowl history and won 34-28 in overtime.
Belichick reportedly is assembling a future coaching staff and could also be a candidate for the Washington Commanders’ vacant head coaching job. Former Falcons interim head coach Raheem Morris is a potential fallback candidate for the Falcons if they can’t land Belichick.
Blank and the Falcons have ties to the New England organization. Blank is a good friend of Patriots owner Robert Kraft and they often sit together at the commissioner’s press conferences at the Super Bowl.
When the Falcons were looking for a replacement for coach Bobby Petrino in 2008, they went after former New England coach Bill Parcells. He reportedly leveraged the Falcons’ interest into landing a job as the Dolphins’ executive vice president of football operations.
Belichick had similar powers in New England, but his personnel moves of late have been substandard. It will be interesting to see if he gets full control of team personnel with the Falcons or another franchise.
Belichick became only the third coach in NFL history to reach 300 career regular-season wins this season, joining Hall of Famers Don Shula and George Halas. He has a total of 333 wins, including the playoffs. He trails only Shula (347 wins) for the record for NFL victories by a coach.
Since quarterback Tom Brady left after the 2019 season, Belichick and the Patriots have fallen on hard times. The record in four seasons since then is 29-38 with one playoff appearance.
The six Super Bowl wins tie Belichick with Halas and Curly Lambeau for the most NFL championships. Belichick won his last Super Bowl, a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, on Feb. 3, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Belichick’s legacy in New England was marred by two major cheating scandals and several minor ones. The Patriots lost draft picks and were fined more than $1 million during his tenure.
