"Bill Belichick to Falcons makes absolutely no sense": Craig Carton
Bill Belichick figured to be one of the hottest head coaching candidates as soon as he parted ways with the New England Patriots. The announcement was made shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL regular season. It's extremely rare that a coach of his caliber ever becomes a free agent, as he is considered by many to be the greatest head coach in NFL history.
Craig Carton is one of the many around the NFL who admittedly shares the belief that Belichick is the greatest of all time. This opinion of his also apparently has him baffled that the Atlanta Falcons have recently emerged as the frontrunners to land Belichick for the upcoming season. He discussed the situation during a recent episode of the The Carton Show.
Carton explained:
"Bill Belichick is going to be introduced shortly as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Unless he knows that they've got some kind of secret plan, like Dr. Doofenshmirtz style, to go get a real quarterback and give him a chance to win.
"I will say this, bad division, so he's got shot to win a bad division. But going to Atlanta makes no sense to me at all for the greatest of all time."
The Falcons remained competitive in the weak NFC South division this season, despite some of the worst quarterback play in the entire NFL from Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. The idea is that if they can upgrade that position, while also adding arguably the best head coach in NFL history, they could potentially take a step forward and win the division title next season.
As Carton pointed out, the weak division could be what is attracting Belichick to Atlanta, as well as the fact that their roster is relatively solid everywhere else, besides at quarterback. He still doesn't think it makes any sense, but it's hard to imagine Belichick anywhere but New England, where he has spent the past 24 years.
Will Bill Belichick be the next Falcons HC?
While nothing is certain until it is officially announced, Bill Belichick is rumored to be the overwhelming favorite to be hired as the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The franchise, including owner Arthur Blank, have reportedly conducted 14 interviews, including Belichick, during their extensive search to replace Arthur Smith.
Bill Belichick, who has reportedly not interviewed with any other teams yet, is the first one to be offered a second interview in Atlanta. He seems to be trending toward filling the Falcons' vacancy.