How Robert Kraft allegedly impacted Bill Belichick's pursuit of Falcons job

It appears New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft played a significant role in Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank choosing Raheem Morris and not living legend Bill Belichick as Atlanta's head coach this winter. 

Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared in a bombshell article on Wednesday that Kraft allegedly "'was a big part' of why the Falcons passed on hiring" Belichick shortly after the Patriots parted ways with the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach in January. 

"But in a conversation with Blank, Kraft delivered a stark assessment of Belichick's character, according to a source who spoke to two people: a close Kraft friend and a longtime Belichick confidant," ESPN said. "The source quoted the Belichick source as saying, 'Robert called Arthur to warn him not to trust Bill.' That account was backed up, the source said, by the close Kraft friend."

Multiple stories have claimed Kraft decided as far back as Nov. 12 of last year that he was ready to move on from Belichick. That was before the Patriots missed the playoffs for a third time since quarterback Tom Brady left the organization as a free agent following the 2019 season. 

It's since been revealed that Kraft admitted to Brady's father this past September that it was a "mistake" to not do whatever possible to keep the future Hall of Famer through the remainder of his playing career. Additionally, Apple TV's "The Dynasty" documentary strongly suggests Belichick's treatment of Brady throughout the second half of the 2010s resulted in Brady's departure. 

One Falcons source told ESPN that "Blank likes coaches who feel part of a family." That source indicated Blank realized it would never "be that way with Bill." 

For what it's worth, Patriots spokesperson Stacey James told ESPN that Kraft "steadfastly denies saying anything negative to Arthur Blank about Bill Belichick after Robert and Bill mutually agreed to part ways." James added that "Robert advocated for Bill to get the [Atlanta] job." 

According to ESPN, Belichick believed the Falcons gig "was his" up through "a few hours before" Blank chose Morris. Blank later noted that Morris simply "was the right fit for us going forward." 

As for Belichick's future, he reportedly "has told confidants he would be interested in coaching" the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles or New York Giants next season. 

While he turned 72 years old on Tuesday, Belichick is just 15 wins away from breaking Don Shula's NFL record for career victories earned by a head coach (regular season and postseason combined).