Even though the Atlanta Falcons were the only team Bill Belichick had a formal interview with this offseason, he may have had talks with another club that was looking for a new head coach.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported he believes there was “some sort of correspondence” between Belichick and the Washington Commanders before they hired Dan Quinn.
It was assumed when Belichick parted ways with the New England Patriots that he would be the most sought-after coaching candidate this offseason.
Things didn’t work out that way, for whatever reason. He was the first candidate to have two interviews with the Falcons, but they eventually pivoted to hire Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank has denied the reason Belichick wasn’t hired is because he wanted full control over personnel decisions.
Fowler noted Belichick had genuine interest in the Atlanta job, but he “wasn’t necessarily crestfallen” it didn’t happen and he might be keeping an eye on some of the marquee franchises that could potentially have a job opening next offseason, including Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears.
The Commanders could also qualify as a marquee franchise given their place in NFL history, but there are a lot of questions that still have to be answered even with Dan Snyder no longer in place as the owner.
It seems like the organization is moving in the right direction with Adam Peters stepping in as general manager after spending the past seven seasons working in the front office for the San Francisco 49ers.
The Commanders would have provided the opportunity for a homecoming of sorts for Belichick. He went to high school in Annapolis, Maryland, and his father was an assistant coach for Navy’s football team.
Washington seemed to be struggling to land a head coach. There were reports that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was the top choice before he decided to stay in his current job.
The Commanders made an offer to Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, but he took the Seattle Seahawks’ job after they increased the terms of their deal.
Quinn, who spent the past three seasons as defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, was officially introduced as Commanders head coach on Feb. 3.
With all of the head-coaching jobs now filled, Belichick is poised to be out of the NFL for at least one season the first time since 1974.
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