25 January 2024 , 02:00
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The Atlanta Falcons' potential move to bring in Bill Belichick is losing steam due to disagreements between the front office and owner Arthur Blank.
The Falcons had sacked head coach Arthur Smith after a disappointing 7-10 season, finishing third in the NFC South and missing out on playoff football yet again. Blank, the team's owner, is reportedly a big fan of Super Bowl-winning coach Belichick, who recently left the New England Patriots after nearly 25 years.
Despite attending two interviews for the vacant head coach role, there are members of the Falcons front office who disagree with Blank over hiring Belichick. ESPN Insider Adam Schefter revealed on 'The Pat McAfee Show' that the Falcons are the only team pursuing Belichick.
The Athletic also reports that Belichick's move to Atlanta is losing momentum, potentially validating claims made by sports personality Bill Simmons.
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Several candidates have been considered for the role, including Baltimore Ravens' Mike Macdonald, Cincinnati Bengals' Brian Callahan, San Francisco 49ers' Steve Wilks, Carolina Panthers' Ejiro Evero and Ravens' Anthony Weaver.
Jim Harbaugh from Michigan is thought to be lined up for a second interview, while Philadelphia Eagles' Brian Johnson, Detroit Lions' Aaron Glenn, Los Angeles Rams' Raheem Morris, Buffalo Bills' Joe Brady, and Houston Texans' Bobby Slowik have also been contacted.
NFL legend Rob Gronkowski, who was part of Belichick and the Patriots' golden era, has given his former head coach the thumbs up for the Atlanta job and explained why it could be a good move.
"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.
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is a key figure pushing for Belichick's appointment (Getty)"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."
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