The Atlanta Falcons felt like a team determined to land a proven winner as their next head coach but on Saturday, they announced they completed an interview with a current NFL defensive coordinator who failed at his first attempt as a head coach.
Earlier this week, Arthur Blank and the Falcons brass was one of two NFL teams to land an interview with Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is one of the most highly-coveted prospects during the current coaching carousel.
Even more notable, the Falcons spent Friday hosting their second interview with former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who many believe is the greatest NFL coach of all time and the front runner for the Atlanta Falcons job.
Belichick first met with Blank on Jan. 15, on Blank’s yacht near the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to one league source. Friday’s second interview with the former Patriots head coach was held at the Atlanta Falcons team headquarters and involved Blank, team CEO Rich McKay, team president Greg Beadles and general manager Terry Fontenot, per multiple sources according to CBS.
The Falcons have interviewed nine candidates for their vacant head-coaching position, and there will be more, but the recent report from CBS believes Belichick is by far the front-runner for Arthur Blank.
Atlanta Falcons Interview Rams DC Raheem Morris While Bill Belichick Remains Frontrunner
On Saturday, the Falcons announce they finished an interview with Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who is viewed as a rising star that could land a head coaching job this cycle despite failing in his first attempt with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers .
Morris was one of the youngest coaches in the NFL when he took the job after Jon Gruden was fired in 2009. After a (3-13) finish in his first year as head coach, Morris led Tampa Bay to a (10-6) record the following year and just missed the playoffs. The next season, he was fired after the Bucs finished with a 4-12 record.
While Morris is considered a strong candidate to get another shot at a head coaching gig for 2024, former Patriots coach appears to be the frontrunner to take over the Atlanta Falcons vacancy.
A source familiar with BIll Belichick told CBS Sports Blank desperately wants the former Patriots head coach, and the job is his if he wants it.
Other reports say the Falcons are planning on doing a comprehensive search so Raheem Morris could be an actual candidate for the position.
Sources tell CBS Sports that’s not exactly the case. The Atlanta Falcons are planning for several second interviews for the upcoming week. Due to league rules, the Falcons couldn’t hire Belichick on the spot, or this weekend, even if they wanted to.
“This will be one of the most comprehensive head coach searches in [NFL] history,” one source said.
There are also major questions around the direction of the franchise should Blank move to install Belichick as his next head coach. The Patriot Way that worked so well for a majority of those 24 years in New England will be a culture shock in Atlanta. Staff members would be reassigned or let go. Access to parts of the building or meetings would be cut off.
One source with the Falcons told CBS Sports they’d prefer to go elsewhere if Belichick wound up being hired. And Bill Belichick would of course bring in his own people on personnel and coaching, so that decision could be made for that source anyway.
Belichick’s control over the franchise is something that would have to be determined before this potential partnership escalates. Sources have voiced doubt that Bil Belichick would go to Atlanta and want to keep the structure the exact same as it relates to McKay and Fontenot, and those decisions would have to be made with Blank’s blessing.
For now, many assume the GOAT will end up taking the Atlanta Falcons job, but it’s clear the organization is doing a thorough search before making any quick decisions.