Blank: Bill Belichick Was Never Offered Falcons HC Job, Didn't Request Full Control

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has clarified some key parts of the reporting around the team's decision not to hire Bill Belichick as their head coach.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Blank said Belichick never asked for full control of the organization during his two interviews with the club.

Blank also denied a report from WFAN host and CBS Sports' NFL Today analyst Boomer Esiason that Belichick was ever offered Atlanta's head-coaching job.

Esiason said earlier this week on the Boomer and Gio show he was told by an NFL executive the Falcons offered Belichick the job, but the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach turned them down.

Per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, Blank and Belichick reached a "crossroads" in their talks when it "crystalized" to the Falcons owner that Belichick was operating under the belief "that the full scope of football operations, personnel and coaching should be under his decision-making umbrella."

Belichick had tremendous power throughout his tenure with the New England Patriots. In addition to being the head coach, he was the de facto general manager for all 24 seasons with the club.

Scott Pioli was also hired by the Patriots in 2000 to work in the player personnel department. He worked alongside Belichick during his nine seasons in New England, but Belichick had final say over the 53-man roster.

Per The Athletic's Jeff Howe, Belichick has a "frosty relationship" with Falcons president Rich McKay that was cited as a "primary reason the parties might have decided they could or should not work together."

It's odd that would be a reason the Falcons passed on Belichick since McKay was stripped of his duties in the football-operations department when Raheem Morris was hired.

Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot will report directly to Blank.

Belichick was initially seen as the preferred candidate in Atlanta. He had was the first person to complete two interviews with the Falcons.

The Falcons threw everyone a curveball when they announced Morris' hiring on Jan. 25. He spent the past three seasons as the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator. His previous experience as a head coach included a three-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to '11.

Morris also served as Atlanta's interim head coach for the final 11 games of the 2020 season after Dan Quinn was fired.

Belichick didn't interview with any of the six other teams that had a head-coaching vacancy this offseason, excluding the Patriots because he parted ways with them on Jan. 11.

Assuming Belichick doesn't get hired for any sort of job with an NFL team, the 2024 season will be the first year he's not in the league since 1974.