Bill Belichick wasn't even a finalist for the Falcons' HC job

When the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick mutually parted ways after the 2023 season, NFL fans wondered where, not if, Belichick would be coaching in 2024. There were several appealing openings, and teams would certainly be lining up for arguably the greatest coach ever, right?

Well, not exactly. Not only did Belichick not get a head coaching gig, he didn't seem to garner much interest.

One team that did show interest was the Atlanta Falcons, and that fit made a lot of sense. What seemed to be destiny at one point was never even all that close to materializing according to ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler.

Bill Belichick wasn't even a finalist for Falcons HC job

As we all know, Raheem Morris got the job. This ESPN article revealed who was next in line.

"On the morning of Jan. 25, Blank and executives interviewed a final candidate, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. The meeting went 90 minutes longer than scheduled. They liked him but were worried about losing out on Morris, who was due to interview with the Seahawks. After Slowik left, Blank and the Falcons execs compared notes. Morris was the unanimous first choice. The team then discussed alternatives if it couldn't hire Morris. In that straw poll, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, eventually hired by the Seahawks, was the second choice. Slowik finished third."

Bobby Slowik and Mike Macdonald were the others who garnered serious consideration from the Falcons. Slowik wound up staying with the Texans as their offensive coordinator and Macdonald left the Ravens to take over as the Seahawks new head coach.

These are all prominent names who deserve to be in head coaching conversations, but it's pretty astonishing that the Falcons, a team that showed interest in Belichick, didn't even have him as a finalist. Did the interview not go as well as we had thought? Did he want something that they refused to offer? Were references that bad?

Belichick's resume is unparalleled in the NFL world. Nobody comes close to what he has accomplished. Even with that, he wasn't even a finalist for the Falcons job, which wasn't even the most appealing job out there.

It'll be interesting to see if things change next offseason, or if Belichick will continue to be overlooked.