Bill Belichick's Fruitless Job Search A Horrible Look For A Lot Of NFL People

Let's spend a few minutes mired in mud, covered in slime. And deceit. And perhaps betrayal.

The coach search exploits of Bill Belichick and the Atlanta Falcons during the recent head coach hiring cycle is the subject of an ESPN investigative report making ripples around the NFL on Wednesday.

It's a lengthy story that details how Belichick, only 15 wins from becoming the all time winningest coach in NFL history, could not convince anyone and particularly not the Falcons to hire him.

Foxborough, MA - January 11: New England Patriots former head coach Bill Belichick addressed the media at Gillette Stadium about his departure. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Nobody Looks Good In This One

The story is a portrait of a losing franchise doing things that losing franchises do. It paints Belichick as arrogant, entitled and something of a jerk. And it makes Patriots owner Robert Kraft sound like an angry former employer who stabs his former coach in the back – the six Super Bowls Belichick won in New England notwithstanding.

It is some stunning stuff. But it includes some easily verifiable stuff as well.

It begins on January 11 when the Patriots and Belichick agreed to part ways after more than two decades together. Belichick's time as the Patriots coach and ultimate football power broker had devolved into a rough final four seasons, three of those with losing records.

It seemed on the surface of a farewell presser to be an amicable, respectful break and Kraft has continued to portray it that way, saying at the NFL annual meeting, "I look forward to the privilege of putting Bill into the Patriots Hall of Fame one day in the future."

But behind the scenes, ESPN's story paints Kraft as vindictive and vengeful after growing tired of Belichick. It reports Falcons owner Arthur Blank reached out to Kraft, who is his friend, and asked his thoughts on Belichick. This is verifiable true.

And in one of those conversations, Kraft basically warned his fellow club owner that Belichick could not be trusted. 

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 15: Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank looks on from the sideline during the final minutes of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images)

Robert Kraft Warned Arthur Blank

From the story: 

"Kraft delivered a stark assessment of Belichick's character, according to a source who spoke to two people: a close Kraft friend and a longtime Belichick confidant. The source quoted the Belichick source as saying, "Robert called Arthur to warn him not to trust Bill." That account was backed up, the source said, by the close Kraft friend.

"Multiple sources said that Kraft spoke with "some candor" to Blank about Belichick, though the sources declined to elaborate. One source close to Belichick said Kraft "was a big part" of why the Falcons passed on hiring him."

Lordy, that's a lot to unpack. Firstly, the Patriots on the record vehemently deny this is true. They contend, through a spokesman, that Kraft advised Blank to hire Belichick.

But the mere idea Kraft has friends going around telling reporters the Patriots owner doesn't trust Belichick and sharing conversations between Kraft and an NFL peer owner means Robert Kraft needs to find some different friends.

If true, Kraft looks like an unappreciative so-and-so who merely put up with Belichick while he was winning and then assassinated his character after he was gone.

Bill Belichick Not A Great Guy

The article quotes another source close to Kraft as saying the owner "found Bill to be extremely difficult and obstinate and kind of stubborn and, in the end, not worthy of his trust. And also very, very, very arrogant."

No kidding. 

This just in: Bill Belichick is not a kind, warm individual. He believes his way is typically the best way unless someone comes with a great alternative. Maybe all those wins and all those Super Bowl rings had something to do with it. 

And, yes, he doesn't suffer fools well, so he can come off as arrogant to some people.

Next.

The story paints the Falcons' organization as a dysfunctional business, in that winning is a secondary priority to staying employed for the club's top decision-makers.

At the end of an extensive interview process, Blank asked general manager Terry Fontenot and longtime CEO Rich McKay to vote on who should be hired as the next head coach. Neither Fontenot nor McKay wanted Belichick, ostensibly because they feared the coach would freeze them out from their decision-making powers.

This despite the fact Belichick vowed in both his interviews to be collaborative with the incumbent leadership group. All he wanted to do was coach.

So, in this vote, the people whose job could be diminished by Belichick didn't vote for Belichick.

Stunning process devised by Blank.

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 27: Atlanta Falcons CEO & President and also Chairman of the NFL Competition Committee, Rich McKay during a press conference regarding rule changes at the 2018 NFL Annual Meetings at the Ritz Carlton Orlando, Great Lakes on March 27, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images)

McKay, Fontenot Didn't Want Belichick

Belichick didn't finish first in the voting. Didn't finish second. Didn't even finish third.

The man has won more Super Bowls as a head coach (6) than the Falcons have played (2) in their entire 57-year NFL history. But he wasn't among the top three best candidates to be head coach, according to owner Arthur Blank's leadership team.

The Falcons have moved on, hiring Raheem Morris. Belichick is taking the year off from coaching – he doesn't have much choice – and hopes to land a job again during next year's hiring cycle.

He'd be wise to have a heart-to-heart with Kraft before then to settle whatever issues might exist between them. And he'd be smart to stay away from a goofy search process like the one the Falcons used.