Atlanta Falcons front office 'does NOT want billionaire owner Arthur Blank to hire Bill Belichick as new head coach'... as Patriots icon nears new job in the NFL

Belichick completed a second-round interview with the Falcons on Saturday  The Falcons are the only team to be involved in discussions with the 72 year old DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news

The Falcons’ front office reportedly doesn’t want its owner, Arthur Blank, to hire Bill Belichick as the team’s new head coach, as the Patriots icon is still on the lookout for a new job in the NFL.

That’s according to Bill Simmons, founder of The Ringer – a sports and pop culture website. On Saturday, Belichick completed his second interview with the Falcons – eight years since he masterminded the largest comeback in Super Bowl history (28-3) against Atlanta.

‘The Atlanta thing, there’s a lot of buzz going around right now about the Atlanta job, that the executives that are there are trying – and I’ve heard this, I’m telling you from so many different people – basically Arthur Blank wants to hire Bill Belichick, and all the front office people in Atlanta don’t want to hire Belichick because it’s like any big company – sports franchises are like microcosms of all big companies,’ Simmons said on his eponymous podcast.

‘The people that run the franchise, they just want to keep their jobs, they’re in job preservation mode, so they’re like ”Maybe we hire Raheem Morris.” Yeah, you hire Raheem Morris, he’s young, you’ll have your job for five more years.’

‘You bring in Belichick – you think Belichick’s going to listen to like [John] McKay’s kid … or [general manager Terry] Fontenot. He’s going to be like, ”I’m going to do my own thing.”’

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is ‘desperately’ trying for Bill Belichick to coach his team

Belichick, 72, completed a second-round interview with the Falcons over this past weekend

Belichick is now the oddsmakers’ heavy favorite to be appointed as the Falcons’ next head coach. What’s more is that on Monday, ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter said that, to his knowledge, the Falcons are the only team in talks with the legendary head coach.

As the head of the franchise, it is inevitable that Blank will have the final say on the person spearheading his team into the 2023-24 season, so it may not matter if the Falcons’ front office is reluctant to give Belichick control.

Belichick flew on one of Blank’s private jets to meet with the billionaire. Blank is said to ‘desperately’ want Belichick to lead his franchise to glory.

Bill Simmons, founder of The Ring, suggested that the Bills would be a better fit for Belichick

In addition to Belichick, the Falcons have interviewed Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Ravens assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

However, Simmons pointed out one of four eliminated teams from the playoffs this past weekend as a better fit for the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, than the Falcons.

‘Belichick going to Buffalo, though. I kinda like it. I don’t know if he’d stay in the AFC East but it does have the Jets, who he owns, he gets to go against [Robert] Kraft every year, which there is a little bit of residue and bad blood, gets Miami, gets an awesome QB, gets a team that can win between 10-14, he breaks the record in two years,’ Simmons said.

‘If you’re Buffalo, aren’t you like, ”Hey, let’s get Bill Belichick, how much money you want?” And then he gets to live in Buffalo, he can wear heavy hats and big parkas and just be super cold, and if you’re Buffalo fans, you’re like, ”Hey, maybe this will end our curse, we get Bill Belichick.”’