Inside The Vikings

Falcons Less Likely to Pursue Cousins After Hiring Morris, Not Belichick?

There had been speculation about Cousins and Belichick teaming up in Atlanta.
Will Ragatz|
Falcons Less Likely to Pursue Cousins After Hiring Morris, Not Belichick?
Falcons Less Likely to Pursue Cousins After Hiring Morris, Not Belichick?

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There had been plenty of recent speculation about the possibility of Kirk Cousins and Bill Belichick teaming up with the Atlanta Falcons this year. Belichick had multiple interviews with the Falcons and at one point seemed like the front-runner to get the job. If that happened, the idea was that a coach of his age and prestige might want to go after the top free agent QB on the market instead of waiting for a rookie to develop.

On Thursday, the Falcons hired Rams DC Raheem Morris as their next head coach, leaving Belichick without an obvious landing spot in 2024. They could still pursue Cousins, who has family ties to the Atlanta area, but the 47-year-old Morris might be more open to the idea of drafting a rookie QB than the 71-year-old Belichick would've been. Again, that's merely speculation. The two primary factors that determine where Cousins ends up will be money and fit.

It's cool to see Morris get another opportunity to lead a team. He's certainly earned it. He became the Buccaneers' head coach in 2009 at age 33 and struggled to a 17-31 record over three seasons. Since then, he's coached on both sides of the ball, including a six-year run as a Falcons assistant. Morris spent the last three seasons doing an impressive job as the Rams' DC under Sean McVay. He had two interviews with the Vikings two years ago before they ultimately went with Kevin O'Connell.

Another coach who had multiple interviews with Minnesota two years ago, Jim Harbaugh, accepted the Chargers' gig on Wednesday. Fresh off of winning a national championship with Michigan, he's finally back in the NFL. That will forever be a fascinating "what-if" scenario, particularly if Harbaugh succeeds right away in Los Angeles.

Here's the current status of the head coach openings in the league this offseason:

  • Patriots: Jerod Mayo
  • Raiders: Antonio Pierce
  • Titans: Brian Callahan
  • Chargers: Jim Harbaugh
  • Panthers: Dave Canales
  • Falcons: Raheem Morris
  • Seahawks: TBD
  • Commanders: TBD

Brian Flores still hasn't had a single interview, so he'll be back for another season as the Vikings' defensive coordinator in 2024.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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