Bill Belichick will head into the offseason without a job for the first time since 1974. It has been almost 50 years since the greatest head coach in NFL history was last unemployed.
According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the reason is three-fold.
Belichick, who mutually parted ways with the New England Patriots after 24 years and six Super Bowl championships, was expected to be of interest for multiple organizations in need of a new coach. That was true.
The 71-year-old legend had more than one interview with the Falcons and was in the mix to take over the Commanders. Both parties went in a different direction.
Bill Belichick didn’t get either job.
As for Atlanta, Howe says that Belichick and team president Rich McKay have a “frosty relationship” that might have deterred them from continuing forth together. The Falcons also considered Raheem Morris as the better option for the future rather than what someone has accomplished in the past.
Perhaps more important was three primary reasons for the lack of interest in Belichick:
- The mishandling of the quarterback room in New England over the last few years was a red flag.
- Belichick wanting to have full control of football operations made it hard to move forward.
- There is/was a growing concern that Belichick cannot relate to players in the modern era.
In regard to the quarterback position, Howe’s sources were baffled by Belichick’s willingness to let Tom Brady leave in free agency.
But the lack of a succession plan was nearly as perplexing. Belichick went the budget route with Cam Newton in 2020 and drafted Mac Jones in the first round in 2021 but failed to develop him by virtually every measurable degree.
— Jeff Howe
And then there was also Belichick’s loyalty to certain coaches and executives. Howe pointed to when he hired Matt Patricia as the offensive play-caller.
All-in-all, it sounds like the NFL teams with vacancies at head coach chose to pass on Belichick because of how things ended in New England. His decisions near the end of his tenure with the Patriots ultimately caused too much concern among front offices who were looking to move in a fresh direction.