Legend Landing Spot: Belichick's Next NFL Team After Patriots Exit?

After Bill Belichick's departure from the New England Patriots on Thursday, the iconic coach now becomes one of the hottest names on the market. Who's the favorite to land the legend?

New England Patriots fans that endured Tom Brady playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now bracing for an equally unfathomably sight: Bill Belichick coaching another NFL team.

After months of rumors and speculation, the Patriots and their legendary coach agreed to part ways on Thursday morning.

With Belichick's departure, it marks the official end of an unprecedented run. Over his 24 seasons in New England, Belichick won six Super Bowls to lead probably the greatest dynasty the NFL has ever and will ever see. It seemed unthinkable that Belichick would ever coach somewhere other than New England again, but with the Patriots being one of the NFL's worst teams this year, the franchise decided it was time to make a change.

Now that the divorce is official, the question now shifts to where Belichick could coach next. Despite not exactly being a spring chicken anymore at 71 years old, Belichick has shown no desire to stop coaching, and he is the biggest name on the market now that he's a free agent.

Bill Belichick

Here are the latest odds for Belichick's next team, courtesy of Bookies.com.

• Atlanta Falcons: +250
• Washington Commanders: +300
• Los Angeles Chargers: +500
• Las Vegas Raiders: +650
• Tennessee Titans: +1200
• Carolina Panthers: +1750
• Chicago Bears: +2000
• The Field/Retire: +850

There have been rumors connecting Belichick to nearly every team in the league, and some notable clubs are not listed among the aforementioned favorites. However, these are generally the teams who are most-commonly linked to the legendary coach.

The Falcons are the leading candidates to land Belichick, with an implied probability of 28.6 percent. Rumors connecting the two parties have especially picked up since the Falcons fired Arthur Smith on Monday, and owner Arthur Blank does seem willing to take a big swing. With Atlanta being just a coach and a quarterback away from competing, Belichick could very easily head south, although it would be weird after the 28-3 drama in Super Bowl 51.

The Commanders aren't far behind with an implied probability of 25 percent, but their situation is a bit more interesting. According to a recent report by Washington reporter J.P. Findley, the Commanders aren't expected to pursue Belichick, which runs contrary to many non-local reports.

The other teams listed all have current coaching vacancies, save for the Chicago Bears, who are retaining Matt Eberflus. L.A. has been one of the teams most-commonly linked to Belichick, so it makes sense to see them near the top with an implied probability of 16.7 percent.

Beyond Belichick: Leading Candidates to Be Next Patriots Coach

Despite Belichick's reluctance to retire, oddsmakers see it as a legitimate possibility. There's also the chance that he could go to a team not listed, although all the teams with current vacancies are already listed.

Belichick will obviously be one of the hottest storylines of the offseason.

---