Falcons Rooney Rule compliant; can hire Belichick, Harbaugh, other candidates

Falcons Rooney Rule compliant; can hire Belichick, Harbaugh, other candidates

Ejiro Evero completed an in-person second interview with the Atlanta Falcons today, the organization announced.

The former Panthers and Broncos defensive coordinator is the third candidate to receive a second interview. Evero joins Bill Belichick and Raheem Morris as the other two to meet in person with the Falcons following an initial virtual interview.

The Evero meeting officially puts Atlanta in compliance with the Rooney Rule, which requires teams searching for a new head coach to interview two external minority candidates in person. Now, Arthur Blank can hire Bill Belichick or any other candidate.

The Falcons were scheduled to meet with Brian Callahan sometime this week, but because the Titans were Rooney Rule compliant going into the interview with the former Bengals offensive coordinator, Tennessee was able to pull the trigger without letting him leave the building.

The Falcons are set to meet with Jim Harbaugh for a second time this week, Mike Vrabel for the first time, as well as Mike Macdonald and Anthony Weaver for the second time next week. The Lions coordinators, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson, are set to host Falcons contingents next week as well, and Bobby Slowik, who impressed the franchise, is set to meet for a second time.

The Falcons could pull the trigger on any of these candidates without meeting with another coach. As of right now, it still seems Bill Belichick is the frontrunner, but recent reports suggest that Jim Harbaugh is a legitimate possibility as Chris Mortensen reports the reigning National Champion has heavy interest in the Atlanta gig.

I don’t expect a deal to materialize immediately, though.

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