Phil Perry breaks down why the Atlanta Falcons could be a front runner to land Bill Belichick next season.
Where will Bill Belichick be coaching during the 2024 NFL season?
It's one of the biggest questions in the football world right now. Belichick has been the head coach of the New England Patriots for the last 24 years -- a run that includes six Super Bowl titles. But after three losing seasons in the last four years, including a disastrous 4-13 record in 2023, Belichick's historic tenure in Foxboro could be coming to an end.
If he does leave the Patriots, it'll be fascinating to see which teams around the league pursue him. Even though many of his roster decisions (trades, free agents, draft picks) over the last few years haven't been good, he's still one of the top coaches in the sport and arguably the greatest of all time.
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Oddsmakers have started to put out betting lines for where Belichick will coach in Week 1 next season.
The Los Angeles Chargers are the favorites, per DraftKings Sportsbook (h/t Ben Fawkes):
UPDATE (Jan 12): The Falcons have moved ahead of the Chargers as betting favorites to land Belichick after he and the Patriots parted ways on Thursday.
The Chargers fired head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco in December. They own the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and, unlike many other teams with a head coach vacancy, already have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert.
The Falcons would be an interesting landing spot, too. They just fired head coach Arthur Smith. The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported Monday that the Falcons are "interested" in Belichick if he becomes available.
Atlanta has some good young talent on offense, most notably running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London. The Falcons don't have a top-tier quarterback, though, and their defense needs a lot of work.
The Commanders are a historic franchise with new ownership, and they're probably further away from contending for a championship than the Falcons and Chargers. However, the Commanders do own the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, which gives them an opportunity to select one of the top quarterback prospects.
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The Panthers probably have the worst roster in the league and don't own their 2024 first-round pick. Barring a surprise turnaround, that franchise might be rebuilding for a while.
Belichick is 15 victories away from breaking Don Shula's all-time wins record of 347. He'll likely surpass Shula at some point, and the real question is which team will he be coaching when it happens.
