The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly "interested" in hiring New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick if he becomes available, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Athletic's Dianna Russini on Monday (January 8).
"Bill Belichick is still the head coach in New England but the Atlanta Falcons are a team to watch if Belichick is available. They are interested, per sources," Russini wrote on her X account.
The report of the Falcons' interest came hours after the team announced the firing of head coach Arthur Smith. Belichick, whose six Super Bowl victories are the most of any coach in league history and 266 wins are the most in franchise history, is coming off his worst season as the Patriots' head coach, finishing with a 4-13 record, the third-worst among all NFL teams.
The 71-year-old is still under contract through 2024 and reflected questions regarding his future with the Patriots during his season-ending video conference Monday.
"Look, I'm for whatever we collectively decide as an organization is the best thing to help our football team," Belichick said via ESPN. "I have multiple roles in that, and I rely on a lot of people to help me in those responsibilities; somebody has to have the final say. Whatever that process is, I'm only part of it."
Last month, NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran reported that owner Robert Kraft had already made "a decision" on Belichick's future after the Patriots' loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany one month prior.
“When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made. They were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year there would be a parting of the ways, for a variety of reasons,” Curran said during the December 11 episode of 'Arbella Early Edition.'
Belichick ranks first third in NFL history with 301 wins, having won 36 games during his first head coaching tenure with the Cleveland Browns from 1991-95. The Patriots have, however, struggled in recent years, making only one postseason appearance since the departure of longtime franchise quarterback Tom Brady in 2020.
New England had previously won the AFC East during all but two seasons during Brady's 20-year tenure, which included the 2008 season in which he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1.
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