Bill Belichick, perhaps the greatest coach in NFL history, was available as eight teams hired new coaches in recent weeks and others contemplated making a change. The Atlanta Falcons interviewed him twice. The Washington Commanders spoke with him but didn’t pursue him
No team hired Belichick, and his absence from the league’s coaching ranks will continue to generate plenty of speculation in NFL circles.
None did. And barring a late surprise, the 2024 season will begin in September without Belichick patrolling a sideline as a head coach for the first time since 1999.
Belichick’s only known interviews during this cycle came with the Falcons. The first is believed to have involved only Belichick and Falcons owner Arthur Blank. The second reportedly included other Falcons officials, including General Manager Terry Fontenot and Rich McKay, the team’s chief executive. The Falcons ended up hiring Raheem Morris, the former coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who most recently had been the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator.
So for this offseason, Belichick will likely take on a broadcasting position to stay close to the game, or possibly an advisory role. But he won’t be on the sidelines leading a NFL team, a notion that feels odd to say the least.
Julian Edelman Gives Blunt Revelation As To Why No NFL Team Hired Bill Belichick
Julian Edelman played for Belichick from 2009 to 2020 and was part of three of the New England Patriots championship teams.
He saw all the behind-the-scenes stuff that most fans don’t get to see, and was recently asked about the future of his former head coach.
“I can’t see him fishing,” Edelman told FS1’s Colin Cowherd on “The Herd” on Thursday. “I could see him watching football and keeping his mind going on it. I don’t think he’s done. He loves the game.”
But in a more recent interview that was aired on Monday, Julian Edelman gave a blunt revelation about the teams that passed on Belichick to hire someone else this coaching cycle.
“It just tells me that not everyone is really about winning in this league,” Edelman said. “If you’re not going to hire BIll Belicick, it’s crazy. Yeah he’s tough, yeah he’s a force to work with, but any team that brings him in instantly gets like 35 percent better. Just because the amount of knowledge he knows, the amount of experience he has, he’s seen everything through the game. And yes, he’s had his troubles these last couple of years, but this is a quarterback league. You gotta find a quarterback regardless of where you are and he wasn’t able to do that.”
Julian Edelman on no team hiring Bill Belichick: "It just tells me not everyone is about winning in this league. … Any team that brings him in instantly gets 35% better because of the amount of knowledge he knows."
Full episode with Gronk and Julian on @The33rdTeamFB 👉… pic.twitter.com/GFvF6t22Be
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 5, 2024
It’s abundantly clear Edelman believes teams are missing out on hiring Belichick this season. It will be interesting if he sits out a year and then gets hired into a situation with a proven quarterback like the Cowboys, Eagles or Chiefs.
