Bill Belichick interviews with Falcons in coach's first meeting after Patriots split
Bill Belichick has officially begun interviewing teams as he begins the process of deciding where to take his legendary NFL coaching acumen elsewhere.
Or is it the other way around?
Regardless, the Atlanta Falcons – a team widely viewed as a front-runner for Belichick's services − announced Monday night that they'd completed an interview with the man 15 wins shy of becoming the league's all-time leader for head coaching victories.
Despite the glaring absence of an established quarterback, the team could be a good fit for Belichick, given the presence of first-round talents like running back Bijan Robinson, receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. The Falcons also have one of the league's better offensive lines, while their defense finished just outside the top 10 in 2023. Atlanta also plays in the NFC South, perhaps the league's weakest division – and one where Belichick's former quarterback, Tom Brady, immediately achieved Super Bowl glory with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following his own departure from the New England Patriots.
Belichick and the Pats mutually divorced last week after 24 mostly dynastic seasons and six Super Bowl victories.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
One of those Lombardi Trophies infamously came at the Falcons' expense, the Patriots overcoming a 28-3 second-half deficit to win Super Bowl 51 by a 34-28 score – still the only time Super Sunday has required overtime. Finding creative ways to cite Atlanta's blown lead has become a popular pastime on social media, one account responding to the Falcons' announcement about Belichick by writing, "Interview lasted between 3-28 minutes."
Belichick's 333 all-time wins, including playoffs, rank second behind Hall of Famer Don Shula's 347. As he bid the Patriots goodbye last Thursday, Belichick said: "I look forward to coming back here. But, at this time, we're going to move on. I look forward, am excited for the future."
And while speculation swirled Sunday connecting him to the Dallas Cowboys following their latest playoff disappointment after a stunning wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers, Belichick's future could very well be in Atlanta.
The Falcons have also interviewed Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Ravens assistant head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
***Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.