Bill Belichick Falcons Staff: 2 Former Head Coaches? - Report

If the Atlanta Falcons hire former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, he could bring two longtime confidants with him.

The Atlanta Falcons have emerged as the first serious potential landing spot for now former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As revealed by the Falcons on social media Monday, the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach met with the franchise to take part in an interview to replace Arthur Smith as their next coach.

With a reported mutual interest being shared between the two sides, a new report has shed light on two big hires Belichick could make if he becomes the Falcons' next coach. 

Per a report from Cam Marino, Belichick could bring two familiar names with him to Atlanta: longtime offensive coordinator and now former Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels and special teams coordinator Joe Judge.

Former New Giants coach Joe Judge (left), Bill Belichick (middle), and Josh McDaniels (right) / Clutchpoints

Firstly, the potential hiring of McDaniels as the Falcons' new play-caller may or may not quell some concerns about the potential hiring of Belichick, given how his legendary tenure ended in Foxboro with an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in many statistics.

Between McDaniels' two failed attempts at being an NFL head coach, he has spent most of his career working under Belichick. Most famously, he spent eleven years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Tom Brady, helping New England win three of their six Super Bowls.

While his resume with Brady and Co. is impressive, he won't have the greatest quarterback in Atlanta. What may concern fans is that outside of his work with Brady, McDaniels' best work as a play-caller most likely came in 2021 with then-rookie quarterback Mac Jones. 

Under McDaniels' guidance, as a first-year signal-caller, Jones threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while completing 67.6 percent of his passes. In the process, Josh was named a Pro Bowl alternate and helped New England make their final playoff appearance under Belichick. 

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Similarly to McDaniels, Judge has spent most of his career working under Belichick, where he's most successfully served as their special teams coordinator. But despite his expertise being on special teams, Belichick infamously named him his quarterbacks coach and de facto co-offensive coordinator with Matt Patricia in 2022. 

However, if McDaniels will follow Belichick to Atlanta, then it is assumed Judge will find himself overseeing the special teams unit.