Multiple ESPN contributors, including long-time Atlanta Falcons contributor Michael Rothstein, released an in-depth look into former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's offseason job hunt and how the second-winningest coach in NFL history did not secure a job going into the 2024 season.
According to the article, one of the major factors that contributed to Belichick not getting the job was the conversations that Falcons owner Arthur Blank had with Patriots owner Robert Kraft about Belichick. Kraft and Blank's friendly relationship allowed Kraft to speak with "some candor" about the deteriorating relationship between Kraft and Belichick despite their winning ways.
"[Kraft] found Bill to be extremely difficult and obstinate and kind of stubborn and, in the end, not worthy of his trust. And also very, very, very arrogant."
That was not all. The article goes in-depth into how Belichick said all the right things to get the job but was unable to convince the Falcons brass, including team CEO Rich McKay, General Manager Terry Fontenot and team president Greg Beadles.
He assured Blank that he wasn't seeking the total control he had for most of his 24 seasons in New England. He pledged to work with the team's existing group of decision-makers, including general manager Terry Fontenot...
...But several Falcons executives did not see it that way. They viewed Belichick as "an older, stoic coach who'd blow up the building" and wouldn't likely stay beyond two years after he sets the all-time wins record, a source said. Also, Blank hates coaching searches and he would have to do another.
The last nail in the coffin was that there were simply better candidates available on the market, including the guy who got the job: Falcons head coach Raheem Morris. When the Falcons narrowed their search to their top three, Belichick did not even make the list. The search boiled down to Morris, if not Morris, then eventual Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald and if not Macdonald, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
At 47 years old, Morris was the oldest of this group. The Falcons wanted someone to be "a part of the family" in Atlanta. The brass wanted someone to help grow this organization and build it into a sustainable powerhouse similar to what New England built but in their image.
Morris allows Atlanta to build past a limited two-year window. Atlanta allowed Morris to right the wrongs of his Tampa Bay tenure. It seems like the Falcons made the right decision.
