Falcons owner Arthur Blank candidly addresses decision to not hire former Patriots HC Bill Belichick
The Atlanta Falcons were the clear front-runners to land Bill Belichick after Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots mutually parted ways with the six-time Super Bowl champion. And everything seemed to be going in the right direction. But in shocking twist, the Falcons decided to go in a different direction, leaving Belichick without a […]
The Atlanta Falcons were the clear front-runners to land Bill Belichick after Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots mutually parted ways with the six-time Super Bowl champion.
And everything seemed to be going in the right direction.
But in shocking twist, the Falcons decided to go in a different direction, leaving Belichick without a job for the 2024 NFL season.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Falcons owner Arthur Blank opened up on this controversial decision, providing some candid answers on what went wrong.
“It wasn’t that he was the wrong fit,” Blank told Breer. “We had 14 candidates. We always wanted him. All the issues and questions about Bill relative to power structure were completely unfounded and untrue and based on nothing. All of my discussions with him, he was nothing but collaborative, inclusive, anxious to work with personnel and scouting alongside him. He did his referencing on our organization and felt very comfortable working with them. It really had nothing to do with any of that."
So why not make the hire official?
“It just wasn’t the best fit for us,” Blank said.
The Falcons ultimately brought back a familiar face, hiring Raheem Morris to be the next head coach.
And while this was an interesting decision, opting to not hire the guy that brought six Super Bowl championships to New England, Blank explained that he still knows Belichick has a strong future in front of him. And that's despite him being 71-year-olds.
“I think Bill will coach again. I don’t know. But the energy’s there, the passion’s there," Blank explained. "We just felt for a variety of reasons when we weighed Raheem [Morris] vs. everybody, that he was just the best choice for us.”
“I learned a lot,” Blank added. “You’re talking to somebody who’s a historian of the NFL, 49 years being a coach in the NFL, 24 years in one organization, six Super Bowl successes. You learn about all the things that they did, or he did, to have that kind of success and how the league has changed and players, what’s not changed and what his requirements for success are going forward. I think he’ll be a fine candidate for somebody else.
