Reported by Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler
ON THE MORNING of Jan. 25, a few hours before the Atlanta Falcons named Raheem Morris to be their next head coach, Bill Belichick believed the job was his.
The second-winningest head coach in NFL history had interviewed twice with the Falcons — a one-on-one session with owner Arthur Blank on his superyacht, followed by a lengthy interview with Blank and team executives at Blank’s home after Belichick flew to Atlanta on one of the owner’s private jets.
From Belichick’s perspective, according to sources close to him, he had done everything right.
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. Belichick also knew that Blank had checked his references with a group that included Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his son, Jonathan.
Belichick was in a strange place, unemployed for the first time since 1996, when he was without a job for a few days after Art Modell fired him from the Cleveland Browns. Still, at 71, he was confident in his chances, discussing potential staff, despite all that had transpired the past few years, including losing seasons and damaged relationships with Tom Brady and the Krafts. Even in Atlanta’s crowded field of 14 candidates, including former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, 11 offensive and defensive coordinators and a defensive line coach, Belichick was confident he would be hired. No other candidate owned eight Super Bowl rings.
And then, like many fans, Belichick was blindsided by news that Atlanta had hired Morris, the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator who had worked for six years as an assistant coach and coordinator in Atlanta. Soon, the seven offseason coaching vacancies outside New England were filled — all by coaches with lesser résumés.
Blank later told reporters that Morris “was the right fit for us going forward, made the most sense. I understood the man, understood the history, understood the presence, understood how he had grown.”
Whenever he was asked about Belichick’s failed candidacy prior to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, Blank always spoke respectfully about the coach with nearly a half-century of experience. “A living legend,” Blank called him.
What Blank didn’t say is that he and his top lieutenants had voted on the team’s next head coach, ranking each candidate.
Bill Belichick didn’t even finish in anyone’s top three.
The greatest coach of all time hadn’t come close — and that was as close as Belichick would come in 2024.
THE NFL HAS moved on from this year’s firing-and-hiring cycle, first to free agency and now to the draft, but what transpired in January is still hard to fathom: Why is Bill Belichick suddenly and seemingly unemployable? And will he coach again?
The answer goes beyond his recent run of busted draft picks and underperforming personnel decisions, particularly at quarterback, and a combined 29-39 record since he opened the door for Brady to leave New England. Owners have evolved in the 28 years since Belichick last hustled for a job. Belichick’s brand of dual GM/head coach leadership has not fallen completely out of favor in the NFL. The 49ers and Chiefs, this year’s Super Bowl contestants, both use strong head-coach models.
But most team owners are loath to grant a single person as much power as Belichick wielded in New England, even with his career results. Owners now value collaboration and cooperation among football operations, the coaching staff and other team executives. Most…
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