It seemed like a forgone conclusion last week that Bill Belichick was going to become the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, but a new report Tuesday appeared to dampen those chances.
Atlanta seems to be going through a thorough process. The team interviewed Belichick for the second time last week, but he is just one of 13 total coaches that have been interviewed for the job.
The notion of "Belichick or bust" is an inaccurate assumption, The Athletic reported. Furthermore, Belichick’s path to Atlanta has reportedly "lost momentum."
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On Sunday, the Falcons announced they had interviewed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for the job.
Other candidates include Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Ravens assistant head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Bills interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
It is unclear when the Falcons will make a final decision.
Rob Gronkowski told Fox News Digital why the Falcons are an intriguing team for Belichick.
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"What makes the Falcons a great place for coach Belichick is that they’re an underachieving team with a lot of talent, and coach Belichick knows how to take talent that’s underachieving and then overachieve that talent," Gronkowski told Fox News Digital.
"I’m pretty sure they got some room in the salary cap as well to bring in some players. They have like five first-round draft picks on the offensive side of the ball like the last five years. They have a lot of talent.
"He’ll go in there. He’ll know how to utilize all that talent. Also, they got a pretty solid defense, which obviously he’ll upgrade even more. And, then, on top of it, they love to run the ball. And he’s a guy that loves to run the ball and jam it down your throat as a coach."
Atlanta has weapons on offense. Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London have proven that. The jury is still out on whether Desmond Ridder can be the quarterback of the future.
The Falcons were 26th in points scored and 17th in yards gained in 2023.
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