Bill Belichick is without a head coaching job for the first time in over 24 years. As crazy as that sounds, the former New England Patriots legendary coach is still mulling his options and is not currently under contract anywhere in the NFL at this time.
Surely that will change soon as he plans to continue coaching, and there are plenty of willing suitors eager for his services. The choice that many have felt was going to be the next move all along is the Atlanta Falcons, but that move hasn’t been made just yet, and an NFL insider believes it may be Belichick who is holding everything up.
NFL Insider Provides Sticking Point for Bill Belichick and Atlanta Falcons Deal
Senior NFL Reporter for The MMQB, Albert Breer, discussed why the move that many have felt like the perfect fit from the beginning hasn’t quite materialized with both parties still not yet coming together.
Breer alluded to a report that Belichick would be uncomfortable reporting to Falcons’ CEO Rich McKay, and his longstanding rift with the team’s executive may be the reason for the delay.
“That setup, a year later, might need more adjusting, because it’s hard to see Belichick being comfortable with any sort of arrangement where he’s reporting to McKay,” Breer wrote.
“Mostly because, well, those two haven’t been on the same page over the years, with the former Patriot coach’s (often open) disdain for the NFL’s competition committee that McKay has long chaired.”
It has been long thought that when it came to picking a new destination, Belichick and his résumé were going to be able to pick and choose how his next situation landed. And unless things were to his liking or rearranged for him, he would be less inclined to commit there.
This looks like a situation where past issues are causing real-time hold-ups for Belichick and the Falcons. With much still to be sorted out, there’s no telling just how it will all shake out right now.
Atlanta is still actively interviewing other prospective options, surely in an attempt to cover themselves if Belichick decides to pass on the opportunity.
This is a situation worth monitoring, as it has multiple domino effects attached to it. Candidates who may have previously thought they weren’t serious contenders for the Falcons’ job, may find themselves with a real chance after all.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the spectrum, teams who didn’t believe Belichick was in play for them, may have a real shot now to land him.
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