Bill Belichick's Inability to Land NFL HC Job, Patriots Exit Detailed in New Report

The reasons former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick did not secure an NFL coaching job for the 2024 season ran "deeper than the mere fact he's about to turn 72," according to a report from The Athletic's Jeff Howe.

Although Belichick underwent several interviews with Atlanta Falcons, the franchise was concerned over how the former Patriots coach would fit into the team's, Howe reported.

The fact that Belichick "become accustomed to total control over football operations" in New England, as well as his "frosty relationship" with Atlanta president Rich McKay, were concerns for the Falcons, Howe said.

Howe added that it wasn't just the Falcons worried about fitting Belichick into their established leadership group.

"Sources with multiple teams that just hired new head coaches expressed varying degrees of relief Belichick wasn't joining their team," Howe wrote. "Some were concerned Belichick would overhaul the leadership structure and the order of command."

Teams across the league were also concerned by how the defensively-focused Belichick managed the Patriots' offense during his final seasons in New England without Tom Brady, according to Howe.

One concern was reportedly the coach's fractured relationship with quarterback Mac Jones. Belichick stopped speaking to Jones following his benching in Week 12 of the 2023 campaign, according to a Thursday report from MassLive's Mark Daniels.

Another was Belichick's hiring of Matt Patricia, who held extensive experience as a defensive coach, as the team's offensive coordinator prior to the 2022 season.

These decisions may have looked particularly bad in light of the Patriots' 4-13 record in 2023, which marked the first time in Belichick's 24-year career with the organization that the team had accumulated fewer than five wins.

Howe noted that sources believed that Patriots owner Robert Kraft "might have been swayed" to keep Belichick if the head coach had "committed to changing certain strategies with the personnel department, roster construction and his offensive vision." However, Belichick "wouldn't bend that far," per Howe.

That doesn't mean there won't be any team willing to let Belichick take full control of their organization in the future, however, especially considering that the league sees an average of seven head coach openings each year.

According to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, Belichick could still be interested in returning to the NFL if one of those spots opens up for him in 2025.