New England Patriots

Report: What Bill Belichick is looking for in his next team

The former Patriots head coach wants to help an underachieving team at his next destination.

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Bill Belichick has a specific type of team in mind as he searches for his next NFL head-coaching gig.

The former New England Patriots head coach completed an interview with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday and will likely be considered for several other vacancies across the league. On Tuesday's SportsCenter, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler shared some insight on the Falcons visit and what the six-time Super Bowl champion is looking for in his next destination.

"We were hearing for a while that the Falcons were interested and so now I'm hearing that there is mutual interest between the Falcons and Belichick," Fowler said. "To what extent? Still unclear. But enough for them to meet in person with owner Arthur Blank talking to Belichick, hashing out what their vision might be for that program for a team that's really a quarterback away.

"I was told from the beginning that Belichick would likely target talented, yet underachieving teams. Atlanta probably falls in that category."

Given Fowler's report, it's no surprise the Falcons job intrigues Belichick. Atlanta has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball and appears to be a quarterback away from becoming a perennial playoff contender. It has the eighth overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Los Angeles Chargers, who recently interviewed Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, also fit the "talented, yet underachieving" description. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles would become obvious fits for Belichick if they move on from Mike McCarthy and Nick Sirianni, respectively. Both NFC East clubs were blown out during their wild-card round matchups.

Belichick and the Patriots parted ways last week after 24 years together. New England promptly named linebackers coach Jerod Mayo as Belichick's replacement and will officially introduce him as head coach on Wednesday.

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