Bill Belichick to Falcons? Why Front Office 'Doesn't Want' Arthur Blank to Hire Pats Legend
The Atlanta Falcons are the only team with a head coaching vacancy still linked to Bill Belichick, who stepped down from the New England Patriots after 24 years at the helm.
Belichick went to 10 Super Bowls with the Patriots, but after Tom Brady left following the 2019 season, the Pats haven't won a playoff game. However, that doesn't erase his status as arguably the greatest coach of all-time. That would mean the Falcons would want him, right? Well, not so fast.
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"Basically Arthur Blank wants to hire Bill Belichick, and all the front office people in Atlanta don’t want to hire Belichick because it’s like any big company — sport franchises are like microcosms of all big companies,” Bill Simmons said on his podcast. “The people that run the franchise, they just want to keep their jobs, they’re in job preservation mode."
Belichick has been the de facto general manager of the Patriots since 2000, so if he were to flock to the Falcons, he likely would have a major say in personnel decisions, something the front office wouldn't exactly be fond of.
“You bring in Belichick — you think Belichick’s going to listen to like [John] McKay’s kid … or [general manager Terry] Fontenot," Simmons said. "He’s going to be like, ‘I’m going to do my own thing.’ “
Belichick's recent track record of finding talent isn't great ... the Pats are 12-22 in the past two seasons. On top of that, the quarterback dilemma the Falcons face is real, and Belichick's disciples post-Brady haven't gotten glowing reviews. And this is probably part of the reason why the Falcons are interviewing other candidates instead of just hiring Belichick now.
However, the front office pushback could very well be real ... and it remains to be seen whether they will win this battle or if Blank pushes his own agenda over the executives.
