NFL insider puzzled over Bill Belichick's unemployment as Falcons hesitate on hiring 6x Super Bowl champ: "It's so strange"
Bill Belichick is widely accepted as the greatest head coach in NFL history. He holds many records, including six Super Bowl rings and nine conference championships. A coach of his elite caliber rarely ever hits the open market, but that's exactly what happened at the conclusion of the 2023 season when he parted ways with the New England Patriots after 24 years.
As soon as it was officially announced that Belichick would be seeking a new team for next season, many expected that his demand would be astronomical. Most assumed that just about every team with a head coaching vacancy would be lining up in an attempt to hire him, but that hasn't been the case.
NFL insider Adam Schefter recently discussed this situation during an episode of the Pat McAfee Show. He drew an interesting comparison to when Tom Brady became a free agent four years ago.
Schefter explained:
"The only team that he's spoken to so far to my knowledge is the Falcons... So it's so strange, like when Tom Brady was a free agent quarterback, there might have been more, but I believe there were only two teams out of 32. Like why would more teams not have been interested? And I think it's to me, it's almost repeating itself with Bill as a head coach here. Why would there not be more teams that are interested in Bill Belichick? It was odd with Brady and odd with Belichick."
Bill Belichick was reportedly interviewed for the open head coach position with the Atlanta Falcons. He quickly became the favorite to land the job after he was the first candidate to receive an interview. Talks have seemingly stalled since then as the Falcons continue to explore other candidates while keeping him as an option.
When Brady departed the Patriots, he reportedly joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after barely interviewing at all during his free agency period. Several teams were in the quarterback market that year, just like the multiple head coach vacancies this offseason. Like Brady, not much news has come out about Belichick interviewing for any of those open positions other than the Falcons.
What are the odds for Bill Belichick to become Falcons HC?
According to Bookies, Bill Belichick is still currently the favorite to be named the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons at +200 odds. Jim Harbaugh (+400), Raheem Morris (+500), Brian Callahan (+750) and Ben Johnson (+900) round at the top five most likely candidates to be hired into the position based on their betting odds.