Falcons Owner Arthur Blank Wanted to Hire Bill Belichick - So Why Didn't He?
The Atlanta Falcons' head coaching search came to an end Thursday night, when the team announced it hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
The move back to Morris, who spent six years on Atlanta's coaching staff and was the interim head coach for 11 games in 2020, came after nearly three weeks of interviews and speculation.
Perhaps no candidate received more buzz to the Falcons than recently fired New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl winner.
Belichick was the first candidate the Falcons interviewed twice. When others went to Blank's house, Belichick was treated to a yacht. He was the clear favorite in the cycle's early stages.
So, what happened?
Raheem Morris and Bill Belichick were two of four candidates who received second interviews with the Atlanta Falcons.
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Blank had legitimate interest in Belichick - more than he had in any other candidate ... but as the process continued onward, the situation changed.
"Multiple sources have said for weeks that Blank went into this process wanting Belichick, and I think the league and the industry expected that to work out," ESPN writes. "But there were hurdles that couldn't be cleared."
Those hurdles?
Spearheaded by Falcons CEO Rich McKay, who's now no longer involved in the team's day-to-day operation, per release.
There were concerns about whether Belichick and McKay, who've previously had disagreements at the NFL's Competition Committee, could coexist. Ultimately, Blank appeared to decide they couldn't.
"The organizational structure in Atlanta involves Blank and CEO Rich McKay," ESPN writes, "and a lot of the discussions with Belichick centered on the idea of what McKay's role would be if Belichick came to coach the team -- and how much power and control the various parties would have in the end."
Belichick met with Blank, McKay and Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot on Jan. 19, the first time all three had been together. They didn't meet again.
Atlanta's search was extensive, interviewing 14 candidates at least once and four others twice.
Blank was enamored by Belichick at the start of the process, and for good reason - he's 15 wins away from breaking Don Shula's record for most victories by a head coach in league history.
The Falcons haven't made the playoffs in six years. Belichick missed the playoffs six times total in his 24 years with the Patriots, through three of those came in the past four seasons.
The 82-year-old Blank wants to win now and felt Belichick's track record of success made him the best option - but Blank took into consideration the thoughts of those around him and ultimately pivoted to Morris.
"Belichick was seen as a short-term play, so there were some in the Falcons' building who were concerned about overhauling things extensively only to potentially have to do so again in a few years," ESPN writes. "Blank may have gone into the process wanting Belichick, but he also went in with an open mind and was willing to listen to the input of others in his organization.
"All of that, combined with already high opinions of Morris, led to this surprise result. And it could leave Belichick without a job in 2024."
The Athletic confirmed this report, offering an identical timeline of events that led Blank to hire Morris over Belichick.
"There are layers to the hiring in Atlanta - Arthur Blank was targeting the greatest coach of all time from the start," The Athletic writes. "He was then open to listening to others' ideas. Some internal persuasion, impressive interviews, and here we are. Belichick is unemployed. Raheem gets his shot."
On paper, Blank's decision is interesting.
He wants to win - so he hired Morris, with a career record of 21-38, over Belichick, who's 302-165.
The idea exists he didn't hire Belichick, at least in part, because of McKay - but then removed McKay from day-to-day football operations.
Nonetheless, Atlanta's moving forward with Morris while Belichick may be forced to spend the 2024 season away from the sidelines - a stark contrast from how Blank's decision appeared poised to unfold at the start of the process.
