ATLANTA — Bill Belichick completed his second interview with the Atlanta Falcons about their head coaching vacancy on Friday, moving closer to joining the franchise that endured its biggest disappointment with him on the opposite sideline.
The team also met virtually with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, but all eyes were on Belichick amid reports he was the team’s top choice and had flown to Atlanta on a private jet that belongs to Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
If Belichick heads to the Falcons, who haven’t had a winning season since 2017 and have reached the Super Bowl just twice since debuting in 1966 — they lost both times — it would be a stunning turn of events. Belichick was coach of the New England Patriots when they pulled off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, rallying from a 28-3 deficit in the second half to beat the Falcons 34-28 in overtime to cap the 2016 season.
Atlanta made the playoffs a year later but hasn’t been back since, and Arthur Smith was fired as head coach just hours after this season’s final game completed his third straight 7-10 record in as many years with the Falcons.
Belichick, whose six Super Bowl titles are more than any other coach, is coming off a career-worst 4-13 season that led to him parting ways with the Patriots less than two weeks ago.
His final season in New England was marred by major problems at quarterback as Mac Jones was benched and Bailey Zappe also struggled. The Falcons endured similar trouble at the most prominent position on the field, switching back and forth between second-year pro Desmond Ridder and journeyman Taylor Heinicke in a desperate bid by Smith to save his job.
If Belichick comes to Atlanta, it would surely be with an understanding that Blank, CEO Rich McKay and general manager Terry Fontenot are willing to pursue an upgrade at quarterback.
With a career mark of 333-178, including the playoffs, Belichick clearly wants to keep coaching as he approaches the late Don Shula’s NFL record of 347 victories.
Belichick teamed with quarterback Tom Brady to capture a half-dozen rings over an 18-season span in what many consider the greatest dynasty in NFL history. For good measure, Belichick was a part of two more championship teams while working as an assistant for the New York Giants under Bill Parcells.
However, Belichick’s reputation took a big hit when Brady left the Patriots after the 2019 season — and immediately won his seventh Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a rival of the Falcons in the NFC South Division.
The Patriots have had only one winning season since then — a one-and-done playoff appearance in 2021 — while posting a record of 29-38. That’s not much better than Atlanta’s 25-42 mark over the same span.
In addition to Belichick and Glenn, the Falcons have interviewed University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who is fresh off leading his alma mater to its first national championship in more than a quarter-century, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Ravens assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans also spoke with Glenn on Friday night, making him the ninth candidate interviewed virtually in their search for a new coach.
The Titans announced they wrapped up their interview with Glenn after speaking with Philadelphia’s Johnson earlier Friday.
Glenn will be coaching with Detroit on Sunday in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs against Tampa Bay. He has been the Lions’ defensive coordinator since 2021 and was recently the top pick of an NFL Players Association survey of players as the league’s top coordinator.
He also has coached defensive backs with the New Orleans Saints and was assistant defensive backs coach for the Cleveland Browns. Glenn, a former defensive back, was the 12th overall pick by the New York Jets in 1994 out of Texas A&M and played 15 seasons in the NFL and was named to three Pro Bowls.
Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk promised to cast a wide net in replacing Mike Vrabel, who was fired on Jan. 9 after six seasons as head coach in Nashville.
Johnson coached quarterbacks for the Eagles in 2021 and 2022 before taking over as offensive coordinator in 2023. He started coaching in 2010 at the University of Utah, where he played quarterback. He also coached in the college ranks at Florida and Mississippi State.
The Titans interviewed Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on Wednesday night and a pair of offensive coordinators Thursday in Thomas Brown of the Panthers and Bobby Slowik of the Houston Texans.
They also interviewed Antonio Pierce, who was hired Friday as the Las Vegas Raiders’ coach when the team removed his interim label. Tennessee also spoke to Baltimore’s Macdonald, Cincinnati’s Callahan and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
No NFL team can interview coaching candidates employed by other teams in person until Monday, after the divisional round of the playoffs.