One of the greatest NFL coaches of all time is on the open market and any team looking for an upgrade is likely to kick the tires on him. Bill Belichick has already interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons and is reportedly having a second interview this weekend. However, some are wondering if Belichick could be a fit in Philadelphia.
Jason La Canfora of the Audacy original podcast “In The Huddle” explained why he thinks Philadelphia is a great fit for Belichick to work with Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman.
“What about Belichick to Philly? The ones that we knew were opening up, I didn’t think he fit anywhere,” La Canfora said (51:20 in player above). “He’s got to respect Howie Roseman. I know Howie’s reputation before; I think Howie’s reputation has changed a lot. There’s no way that Bill Belichick can’t respect the way Howie exploits people in trades, the way Howie works a draft board. A lot of Belichick’s weaknesses in his latter stage are Howie’s strengths. It’s two interesting personalities, but let’s be real, it’s two to three years.”
Belichick’s 302 career wins are the third-most by a head coach in NFL history. He’s 16 victories behind George Halas and 26 behind Don Shula at the top. It’s likely to take that three-year window for Belichick to catch Shula.
He may be able to do that with a team like Philadelphia more so than in Atlanta.
“If Bill Belichick goes to Atlanta in that horses–t division and can’t win more than seven, eight games, I got news for you, he just took a dump on his legacy,” La Canfora said. “The Bill Belichick story will be written: couldn’t finish above .500 without Tom Brady. That’s the risk of it.
“I get it, maybe he goes there and dominates that division. But if he goes there and it’s lipstick on a pig and he can’t get to Shula and it’s not great, he doesn’t have a quarterback. I got news for you. It’s going to be one thing with Brady, pretty marginal without him.”
The Falcons finished 7-10 in the NFC South for the third straight season. However, none of the other three teams have a particularly bright future.
While it’d be possible for Belichick to find success in Atlanta, it may be much more likely in Philadelphia.
“If he goes to the Eagles and wins an NFC East title, which I think he can probably do Year 1, and whip some people into shape, you know that there’s a mutual love and hate thing between Philly and New England,” La Canfora concluded. “I think that’s the one.”
Of course, the Eagles have yet to publicly make a decision on head coach Nick Sirianni. Sirianni led the Birds to a Super Bowl last season but was also at the helm during their epic collapse this year.
The Belichick rumors are going to continue to swirl until he makes a decision. Only time will tell where he’ll land.