The Atlanta Falcons coaching search is ramping up with many of the top NFL coaching candidates landing second interviews. As a decision on the next head coach narrows, it appears Bill Belichick might already have his Falcons coaching staff in mind if he’s hired.
Belichick is widely viewed as the favorite to take over in Atlanta. The future Hall of Famer and Jim Harbaugh have been brought in for second interviews, but Harbaugh is expected to become the Los Angeles Chargers head coach.
- Bill Belichick record: 302-165 (.647), 31-13 in playoffs
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While Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank is still meeting with candidates and additional interviews will be conducted next week, Belichick remains the favorite to replace Arthur Smith. As many around the NFL anticipate Belichick heading to Atlanta, there’s also a growing belief that he’ll bring the band back together.
According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, some within the NFL believe if Belichick lands in Atlanta he’ll add Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to the Falcons coaching staff in 2024.
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Potential Atlanta Falcons coaching staff under Bill Belichick
They aren’t the only former New England Patriots assistants who could be part of the Falcons coaching staff. The belief is that Steve and Brian Belichick could also head to Atlanta, even with standing offers to remain with the Patriots in 2024.
McDaniels, fired by the Las Vegas Raiders midway through the 2023 season, has been a quality play-caller during his stints with the New England Patriots. He knows the system Belichick wants to run and is an ideal teacher to help teach players the complex concepts and methods that Belichick’s Patriots teams ran.
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While McDaniels has been a quality offensive coordinator, the reputations of Judge and Patricia aren’t as strong. When Belichick used Judge as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach in 2022, the Patriots had one of the worst offenses in the NFL and quarterback Mac Jones regressed to the point of no return.
As for Patricia, he has had failed stints as a head coach with the Detroit Lions and a defensive coordinator for the Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. While Belichick would be running the Falcons’ defense in 2024, adding Patricia and Judge to the Falcons coaching staff would raise questions about Belichick’s willingness to adapt and expand his coaching tree after being fired by New England.
