Building a Super Bowl champion starts with figuring out who gets all the power
he once labeled as being “micromanaged” by Baalke and CEO Jed York.
The 60-year-old Harbaugh seems to be headed to the Los Angeles Chargers, who also are looking for a new GM. They’ve interviewed candidates with connections to Harbaugh, who also has met with the Falcons.
Hiring a general manager positioned to have a strong working relationship with Harbaugh is imperative for the Chargers. They have a franchise QB in Justin Herbert and could become a championship contender quickly with Harbaugh.
Belichick talked about being willing to relinquish some of his personnel duties to stay in New England but owner Robert Kraft didn’t agree that would work.
“All of us need checks and balances in our life,” Kraft said last week. “We need what I say — I call it, we need doctor ‘no’s’ around us, people to protect us from ourselves. And, as things evolve and you get more power, sometimes people are afraid to speak up. I’m speaking about all companies. I think it’s good to have checks and balances, but once you have it, it’s kind of hard to pull it away and expect to have the accountability you want.”
Belichick has already interviewed with Atlanta and he’s getting a second meeting with owner Arthur Blank and team brass.
The Falcons haven’t made the playoffs since 2017. They’ve had six straight losing seasons. General manager Terry Fontenot hasn’t added a franchise quarterback or bona fide edge rusher in three drafts but tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson are talented players who would benefit from playing with a legitimate No. 1 QB.
Giving the 71-year-old Belichick the keys to the organization makes sense for the 81-year-old Blank. The Falcons have the No. 8 pick in the draft, plenty of salary cap space and play in a weak division. That has to be attractive for Belichick, who is 15 wins away from passing Don Shula for No. 1 on the career list.
The Seahawks, Chargers, Commanders, Titans, Raiders and Panthers also have openings but Belichick doesn’t seem to be a fit for any of them either because of control or preference.
The Philadelphia Eagles could be in the market for a new coach if they fire Nick Sirianni after he meets with owner Jeffrey Lurie on Friday. It seems unlikely they’ll part with a coach who is 34-17 and has reached the playoffs three times in three years.
Lurie prefers young, relatively unknown assistants — he has hired Ray Rhodes, Andy Reid, Doug Pederson and Sirianni — except for the Chip Kelly experiment that didn’t last three full seasons. Lurie and GM Howie Roseman aren’t giving a coach personnel control so that would limit their options.
After Dallas was destroyed by Green Bay in the playoffs, it was widely assumed Belichick would get a call from Jerry Jones. But the Cowboys are sticking with Mike McCarthy. Of course, it’s possible Belichick’s phone rang and he turned Jones down because he wasn’t interested in working for an owner who also is the GM.