The Atlanta Falcons appear to be leaving no stone unturned as they continue their search for a new head coach.
While former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was considered to be the favorite to land the job for a while, the Falcons have interviewed a number of candidates already and have yet to make a hire as other teams have picked their next head coaches.
In total, the Falcons have interviewed 14 different candidates for the position, according to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager.
The Falcons have now interviewed 14 different coaches for their vacant HC gig.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 25, 2024
This could be due diligence by owner Arthur Blank but also an indication that the team may want to go in a different direction than the highly accomplished Belichick.
The ex-Patriots coach led the team’s football operations in New England as well, so perhaps the Falcons don’t want to hand over control of the 53-man roster to Belichick considering the presence of general manager Terry Fontenot in Atlanta’s front office
Another reason for these interviews could also be information acquisition for potential hires down the road, either as assistants for Belichick or to inevitably replace Belichick if he doesn’t stay in Atlanta long.
Whatever the case may be, the Falcons are taking their time before making a hire and could end up passing on Belichick if they decide a different candidate would be a better fit for their short- and long-term plans.
With the No. 8 pick and playing in a very-winnable NFC South, the team’s next head coach could quickly take the Falcons from the bottom of the NFC to the top if they can fix the issues that plagued Atlanta in 2023 – whether that’s Belichick or someone else.
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