The New England Patriots are reportedly parting ways with head coach Bill Belichick after 24 seasons. Despite the historic era in Foxborough coming to an end, it may not be the end of the legend’s story. According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the 71-year-old coach wants to continue working and there are teams that will have high interest in the six-time Super Bowl champion.
The Atlanta Falcons are at the top of the list after moving on from head coach Arthur Smith this week. Schefter cited team owner Arthur Blank’s history of taking big swings for other hall-of-fame-type coaches, such as Bill Parcells.
“If we think of Arthur Blank in his later years, desperately wanting to win while he can. There aren’t many coaches that have swung harder. He has taken some big swings at other high-profile head coaches in the past,” Schefter shared on Thursday morning. “Blank once pursued, but didn’t land, Joe Gibbs. He once pursued, but didn’t land, Bill Parcells. Now the Falcons have a head coach opening, and Bill Belichick is a free agent.”
If the three-time Coach of the Year does, in fact, want to continue to coach as the head of a franchise, there’s currently no shortage of options. The Falcons, Chargers, Panthers, Seahawks, Titans, Commanders and Raiders are all moving on to new head coaches this offseason.
Belichick era coming to a close in Foxborough
During his stint as Patriots head coach, Belichick won six Super Bowl titles and developed numerous All-Pros, including, most famously, quarterback Tom Brady. He headed the organization for 24 years.
The Belichick-Brady duo became the face of the NFL for multiple decades as they routinely finished atop the AFC East and made deep runs into the playoffs.
But Bill Belichick’s success with the organization began to decline when Brady left following the 2019 season. The QB, meanwhile, would go on to win a Super Bowl with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England went 7-9 the season after Brady departed with Cam Newton at QB, then managed to improve to 10-7 the following year in 2021, which was Mac Jones’ first season. But neither season included an AFC East title and 2021’s playoff appearance ended in an exit in the Wild Card round.
Then the wheels began to fall off. New England went 8-9 in 2022 but finished just 4-13 in 2023.
On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report.
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