Bill Belichick's 1st interview since failed Falcons pursuit is a real fall from grace
When Robert Kraft shockingly announced that the Patriots were moving on from head coach Bill Belichick after nearly a quarter century, it was immediately believed that the 8-time Super Bowl Champion would become the front-runner for any head coach vacancy across the league.
Given his accolades and experience, any organization hoping to become championship contenders would be lucky to finally get the chance to hire a guy like Belichick, or so we thought.
The Falcons were the only ones that heavily pursued him, having had several meetings with them and owner Arthur Blank before the team suddenly decided they were no longer interested. Rumors have suggested that Patriots owner Robert Kraft got involved and warned his billionaire friend of Belichick's ways. At the same time, other chatter claimed Atlanta hesitated to give too much power to the tenured coach.
With no more options to interview for, Belichick continued his career in the media and has held various roles in the months since. But that might be changing soon, as reports indicated he has interviewed for the head coaching position with the University of North Carolina, ironically Drake Maye's alma mater.
It's quite a fall from where he once was in the NFL. He has long been considered the best head coach of all time, with the expectation he would be back on a sideline in 2025, but interviewing for college football vacancies makes it seem maybe he won't have as easy of a time to get back in the league as most thought.
He has been favored for several suspected openings next offseason, with the Cowboys and Giants as the most common destinations. It feels like a no-brainer for teams who have been historically bad and want to reach the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl. Given Belichick's unrivaled career, his expertise could be an easy plug-in and take-over situation for most teams, especially those just needing a new leader rather than a complete roster makeover.
But CBS Sports believes UNC is the most desirable head coaching spot of all the vacancies, which might be enticing to Belichick at this point in his career.
Only time will tell, and it will be interesting to see what happens, especially since the NFL fits more of what Belichick would like to accomplish in the latter years of his professional career. He deserves to accomplish those with how much he has contributed to the overall game of football.