ESPN NEWS FLASH: Atlanta Falcons owner ‘desperate’ to hire hand-picked candidate as next head coach

After a 41% win percentage in 51 games, Arthur Smith was fired as the Atlanta Falcons’ coach after three seasons. In order to identify a franchise quarterback, team owner Arthur Blank and general manager Terry Fontenot must now find a successor who can extract greater production from a youthful, explosive offence.

The Falcons face a challenging assignment and may not achieve their objectives immediately, but hiring the wrong coach is one thing they just cannot afford to do. There is a lot of competition in the NFC South, and if the Falcons can improve upon their 7-10 record from the previous season under a new coach, they may have a chance to make the playoffs.

The Falcons have interviewed nine head coaching prospects so far, and there may be more to come. However, only a small number of these candidates have been invited back for additional sessions. Blank is aiming to hire perhaps the best head coach in NFL history to take over as head coach of the Falcons, knowing they can’t afford to regress.
The Atlanta Falcons have already conducted two interviews with Bill Belichick; the most recent one ended on Friday. Belichick enjoyed supper with GM Terry Fontenot, team president Greg Beadles, CEO Rich McKay, and executive assistant Arthur Blank. Everybody who made decisions was present.
NFL insider Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports claims that Blank “desperately” wants to get Belichick on board immediately and that the head coaching job with the Falcons is his to have if the six-time Super Bowl winner so desires. According to his sources, Belichick is currently “50/50” about accepting the position.

Even though Belichick seems certain to be hired soon, the Falcons still need to pass one more obstacle in order to be in compliance with NFL regulations. Belichick cannot be employed before they have a face-to-face interview with a minimum of one candidate from a minority group.

About Belichick possibly moving to Atlanta, one of the main concerns is how the organization’s power structure would function. He was, in a sense, both general manager and head coach in New England, with ultimate authority over the squad. Would that apply to the Falcons as well, because Fontenot has been in charge of selecting the team’s roster since 2021?