The Falcons ultimately became the most realistic landing spot for Bill Belichick, but Atlanta wasn’t the first team speculated as a potential next step for the legendary coach.
Chatter of Belichick possibly taking his talents to Washington dates back to the fall. The lowly Commanders were always bound for a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and they could have presented a homecoming for the future Pro Football Hall of Famer, who grew up roughly 25 miles from FedEx Field.
But as Josh Harris and company moved forward in the process of replacing Ron Rivera, they didn’t even set up a virtual conference with Belichick. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that lack of communication had more to do with not wanting to waste Belichick’s time than an absence of interest.
“Washington, amongst its owners, has debated and talked about Bill Belichick,” Schefter said Sunday on ESPN. “They’ve never interviewed him because I don’t think they want to do that disservice or disrespect to him. They would only talk to him if they were ready to move forward with him and they haven’t given any indication that they are. But, they’re still doing interviews. Let’s see if Washington potentially could change its mind. Unlikely to date, but I wouldn’t rule it out either right now.”
Schefter might have been putting it mildly when he said it was “unlikely” the Commanders would change course on Belichick. The NFL insider’s ESPN colleague, Jeff Darlington, called it a “foregone conclusion” that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will ultimately leave Detroit to become Washington’s new head coach.
That would leave the Seahawks as the only team with a head-coaching vacancy, and Belichick doesn’t appear to be in the mix in Seattle. So, the 71-year-old probably will have to wait until 2025 to return to the sideline.
