Bill Belichick Hire Could Bring Major Risk for Falcons Front Office amid NFL Rumors

Bill Belichick isn't a lock to fill the Atlanta Falcons head-coaching vacancy. However, Atlanta is poised to take another step toward hiring the longtime New England Patriots coach.

Belichick has already met with franchise owner Arthur Blank and interviewed with the Falcons on Monday. Atlanta has also interviewed Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and has interest in Mike Vrabel, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

However, Belichick appears to be the Falcons' first choice and is scheduled for a second interview this weekend, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.

"Things are ramping up," Rapoport posted on X, formally known as Twitter.

In a vacuum, Belichick is a logical Plan A. He's an experienced head coach with proven postseason success. With a roster that is loaded with talent at just about every position other than quarterback, Belichick would likely yield quick results—if the Falcons land on a quality signal-caller.

However, hiring Belichick could also come with significant risks, and it all has to do with the front office.

Blank made it known after the regular season that he planned to keep general manager Terry Fontenot. According to ESPN's Michael Rothstein, Blank's plan is to have Fontenot and the next coach report to team president Rich McKay:

The unknown is how willing Belichick would be to report to anyone other than the owner. He served as the de facto GM in New England, held the final say in personnel decisions and essentially only answered to franchise owner Robert Kraft.

McKay has served in one role or another for the Falcons since 2003, but getting him and Belichick to coexist could be an issue. According to ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, Belichick and McKay already have a bit of a strained relationship:

"As one team executive remarked once the Belichick-to-Atlanta chatter emerged, McKay likely won't be inclined to support it. Belichick, per the source, and McKay have been at odds in the past over rules changes, given McKay's role as chair of the Competition Committee.

The source predicted that Belichick would take the job only if McKay is completely frozen out of football operations."

If Florio's report is accurate, Atlanta may have two paths to hiring Belichick, and each could be risky.

Path A involves Blank convincing Belichick and McKay to work together. That could work if the Falcons are immediate contenders—winning cures a lot of problems—but could backfire if the team stumbles at all.

According to a January 12 report from Seth Wickersham & Wright Thompson of ESPN, Belichick wanted to explore trading Mac Jones, and after Kraft refused, he kept Jones in games, "even when it was clear the quarterback was losing confidence," to spite ownership.

If Belichick were to have a similar response to one of McKay's personnel moves, the relationship could deteriorate quickly.

Path B would involve moving on from McKay or placing him in a different role. That would fundamentally change the structure of the Falcons' front office and carry its own set of risks and questions.

In this scenario, Belichick could end up having more power than Fontenot, and he might push to bring in his own brain trust. Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf could be at the top of Belichick's wish list.

"I did hear from two prominent league sources who believe Wolf and Matt Groh will eventually land wherever Belichick does," Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal wrote.

The danger to the second approach is twofold. For one, Belichick and the Patriots don't exactly have a sterling reputation for executing the early stages of the NFL draft. Belichick's personnel misses played a bigger role in New England's latest 4-13 campaign than anything he did on the sidelines.

The 2023 Patriots simply weren't very talented. The Falcons are, but they'll want to see their roster get better, not worse.

The other factor to consider is that Belichick will turn 72 in April. He's 15 wins away from surpassing Don Shula for the most in NFL history. Given his age and proximity to the wins record, there's no guarantee that Belichick will stick around for more than a few seasons.

Completely restructuring the front office for a two- or three-year run could leave Atlanta Scrambling for a complete rebuild in the not-too-distant future. Blank should be very interested in hiring Belichick the coach, not Belichick the GM.

Again, though, with McKay seemingly entrenched as Blank's top advisor, hiring Belichick as a coach only may not be overly realistic. Either way, the Falcons have some serious risks to consider in the coming days, and they could ultimately cause Atlanta to pivot to another target before its coaching search is complete.