The Atlanta Falcons hired Raheem Morris to fill their head coach vacancy last month, but not before interviewing former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Many were stunned by the organization hiring Morris over one of the most winningest coaches of all time in Belichick, with reports and rumors quickly flying around that the decision came down to not wanting to grant Belichick's request of full control of the team like he had with the Patriots.
It was left to speculation on why the Falcons ultimately chose Morris over Belichick despite having two interviews with the team, but Atlanta's owner Arthur Blank wants to make one thing clear -- Belichick never asked for full control, nor was he ever offered the job.
CBS Sports analyst Boomer Esiason claimed on NFL Today he was told by a league executive that Belichick was offered the Atlanta job, but for some reason turned it down. Blank was quick to denounce this claim when speaking with the media on Friday, stating the report is false.
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"Where Boomer heard that from, I have no idea," Blank said to the claim that Belichick was offered the job.
As for Belichick's so-called demand for full control of the Falcons organization? That never happened either according to Atlanta's in-house reporter Tori McElhaney.
"Arthur Blank said Bill Belichick never asked for full control of the Falcons organization," McElhaney wrote in a post on X. "He said the narrative that Belichick wanted that level of control was not true."
Hopefully, the narrative that Belichick needed full control of a team didn't limit his opportunities with other teams as the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach failed to land a job elsewhere, leaving him out of the NFL for the first time since 1974.
