ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons have made their highest-profile interview yet for their open head coach job, announcing Monday night they'd conducted an interview with Bill Belichick.
Belichick recently departed the New England Patriots after more than 20 years, guiding the team to six Super Bowl championships in that time.
The Falcons did not provide any further details about the interview. They've previously announced completed interviews with several other candidates, including coordinators and assistant coaches from the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers.
The Falcons fired previous coach Arthur Smith last week after the conclusion of their season, missing the playoffs with a 7-10 record.
The Falcons started meeting with candidates last week. On Friday, the team had its first interview with a head coaching candidate when they interviewed Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. He previously served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan where he was also a coach there in various roles for seven seasons.
On Saturday, the Falcons interviewed both Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
Callahan has spent the last five seasons as the Bengals OC. Wilks just completed his first season as the 49ers DC, where he previously served on the Carolina Panthers staff before serving as their interim head coach after they fired ex-head coach Matt Rhule.
On Sunday, the Falcons said they completed an interview with Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Evero was previously the defensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos in 2022. The team also interviewed Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach Anthony Weaver, who has served the past two seasons as the assistant head coach and defensive line coach in Baltimore.
On Thursday, the Falcons announced they completed an interview with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson. He has been under intense scrutiny from the fan base after the Eagles lost six of their final seven games, including a blowout loss to Tampa Bay in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.
On Friday, the Falcons said they completed an interview with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. He has served as the DC in Detroit since 2021 and was previously the defensive backs coach for the New Orleans Saints from 2016 to 2020.
Falcons head coach options
- Mike Macdonald (Ravens defensive coordinator) - Virtual interview completed
- Brian Callahan (Bengals offensive coordinator) - Virtual interview completed
- Steve Wilks (49ers defensive coordinator) - Virtual interview completed
- Ejiro Evero (Panthers defensive coordinator) - Virtual interview completed
- Anthony Weaver (Ravens assistant head coach) - Virtual interview completed
- Bill Belichick (Former New England Patriots head coach) - Interview completed
- Jim Harbaugh (University of Michigan head coach) - Interview completed
- Brian Johnson (Eagles offensive coordinator) - Virtual interview completed
- Aaron Glenn (Lions defensive coordinator) - Virtual interview completed
Other potential head coach candidates:
- Ben Johnson (Lions offensive coordinator)
- Raheem Morris (Rams defensive coordinator)
The Falcons have not given a timetable for when they expect its new head coach to be hired.