Bill Belichick could set the NFL ablaze by becoming rivals' next head coach
When Bill Belichick made it clear he was planning to continue coaching after his stint with the Patriots unexpectedly ended, there was an overwhelming belief that most teams needing a new head coach would inevitably be interested. There had already been several rumors about some of them expressing interest in interviewing him for their vacancy, but so far, that hasn't been the case.
According to reports, Belichick has only interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons and was said to be the clear frontrunner to land the job. He was even flown in by a private jet to have a second meeting with owner Arthur Blank, which seemed to be a clear indicator that he would be hired shortly.
However, Atlanta has continued to bring in more candidates to interview, and not much has been heard about Belichick's stance on the job. Although nothing has been said to suggest he has been ruled out of contention, it does seem odd that the very accomplished head coach would still be waiting for a job at this point in the offseason.
There was some speculation that perhaps he was eyeing some jobs that still had their coach in place, as rumors suggested Eagles coach Nick Sirriani may be ousted after their disappointing playoff run. But Philadelphia brass shut that down fairly quickly, leaving Belichick to just the Falcons.
Now he's being connected to an unexpected next destination, mentioned by former head coach Rex Ryan.
Bill Belichick could shock the NFL world by heading to a divisional rival of the Patriots
The longtime Patriots rival brought up the idea of Belichick replacing Sean McDermott in Buffalo during an appearance on DiPiertro and Rothenberg earlier this week, noting that since the Bills had another disappointing end to their season, many are questioning McDermott's fitness for the role.
Although there haven't been any reports suggesting this to be a possible landing spot, Ryan believes the Bills should consider it if they're hoping to win a Super Bowl any time soon.
“This is the craziest thing: Buffalo might be the spot where Bill Belichick goes. I’m just saying, if ownership thinks (Sean McDermott has) taken this team as far as (he) can, which I’m not saying that they should do it, but this could do it. Who could take us to the next level? Well, Bill Belichick. And I’m not saying that it’s definitely gonna happen, but I would not be shocked.
“I’m not saying it’s gonna happen. But I’m just throwing it out there. Believe me, I’m not just being reckless when I’m saying it. If you’re going to move on from him (McDermott), make no mistake, it’s for one guy. It’s for Bill Belichick.”
Ryan may say many outlandish things, but this doesn't feel like one of them.
Something is clearly off for the Bills, and despite their efforts to go all-in over the last two seasons, they haven't been able to accomplish much. Now, they find themselves in a sticky situation for the 2024 offseason because they are $40 million over the allotted cap space for the season.
If they want to infuse a championship-like atmosphere in Buffalo, who better than Belichick to do that? They have been on the receiving end of the Patriots dominance over the last 20 years, so he could immediately bring that mentality and expectations to the team.
But even though it sounds like a potentially ideal scenario, nothing has suggested that McDermott's time with the Bills is coming to an end. Anything can happen in the NFL, so it's not entirely off the table. However, if there were any hint of ownership choosing to move on, we probably would've heard a rumor or two about it by now.
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