Bill Belichick Rumors: Falcons' Blank 'Desperately' Wants to Hire Patriots Legend

If Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has a poker face, he's doing a terrible job of using it in his pursuit of Bill Belichick.

Per CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, Blank is described as "desperately" wanting to hire Belichick as the Falcons head coach.

Jones noted Belichick will get the job if he wants it, but it's considered "50/50 right now" that he will join the team.

The Falcons haven't wasted any time getting to know everything they can about Belichick. He completed a second interview with the team on Friday, four days after his first meeting with the club.

If Blank is unable to get Belichick, he still has his sights set on another big name. The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported the Falcons will have a second interview with Jim Harbaugh next week.

Per NFL.com's coaching tracker, Atlanta has either interviewed or requested interviews with 13 different candidates already.

Even if Belichick and the Falcons wanted to strike a deal, Jones noted it couldn't happen yet because the team hasn't complied with the Rooney Rule. Their only in-person interviews have been with Belichick and Harbaugh.

They are also the only two candidates with second interviews currently planned.

"Beyond that, sources say Blank has no intention or desire to push through Rooney Rule compliance in order to make a quick hire -- even if it winds up being the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach," Jones wrote.

In-person meetings with candidates employed by teams that made the playoffs but lost in either the Wild Card Round or Divisional Round can begin on Jan. 22.

There are currently six head-coaching vacancies, but the Falcons are the only team Belichick has met with. He doesn't have any interviews with any other other teams in the coaching market.

Belichick went 266-121 with 18 playoff appearances and six Super Bowl titles in 24 seasons with the Patriots.

The Falcons fired Arthur Smith as their head coach on Jan. 8. He went 7-10 in each of his three seasons with the team.