Bill Belichick next team odds: Falcons favored now that Belichick out in New England

Coach Bill Belichick is done in New England. 

Belichick served as the head coach of the New England Patriots since 2000, winning six Super Bowls, including a 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. 

However, the Pats put together just one winning season and one playoff berth in the four seasons since Tom Brady left the franchise, including a 4-13 campaign this season — and with that, Belichick is on his way out.

Will he coach again? If the answer is yes, then where? Those are the questions on the minds of … everyone.

DraftKings Sportsbook released odds on Belichick’s next move, and we’ve been all over it.

The opening odds have shifted amid speculation Mike McCarthy might be done in Dallas after the Cowboys’ stunning wild-card round loss to the Packers on Sunday.

While the Cowboys are still not officially listed as an option for Belichick on DraftKings Sportsbook, the “any other NFL team” option — which by definition includes the Cowboys — has surged to become the new favorite.

odds as of 1/15/24

Related: Disaster in Dallas could push Mike McCarthy out. Is Bill Belichick next for Cowboys?

In a column after Dallas’s loss Sunday, FOX Sports NFC East reporter Ralph Vacchiano explained why Belichick might see the Cowboys as a desirable fit.

“The 71-year-old Belichick is chasing another ring too, plus Don Shula’s record for all-time coaching wins. And while his four post-Tom Brady years in New England haven’t been great, no one doubts his ability to coach a championship team. … And don’t overlook this fact: Bill Parcells, Belichick’s old boss, loved working for Jones from 2003-06. He raved about him as a boss when no one thought Jones was a good one. If Belichick is looking for a championship-ready team in a good situation, you can bet Parcells would be willing to point him toward Dallas.”

Meanwhile, legendary former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin endorsed Belichick for Cowboys head coach on Monday’s episode of “Undisputed” — with a caveat.

“I want discipline,” Irvin said. “You can say what you want about [former Cowboys head coach and current FOX NFL analyst] Jimmy [Johnson], Jimmy believed in discipline. Yeah, we played the game a certain way, but boy, Jimmy believed in hard-nosed discipline. And that’s what we need with the Cowboys. This ain’t a skill thing. Do I believe the Dallas Cowboys have talented enough players to go farther in the playoffs and certainly have a better ending than this? Absolutely.

“I heard people talk about Belichick — at first I was saying, ‘No, no way, it wouldn’t work here.’ But after last night, everything has changed. You can get me a Belichick, but I still want an innovative, offensive-minded head coach.”

The Falcons, however, still appear very much in play. Few have better insights into Belichick than FOX Sports NFL Studio Analyst Rob Gronkowski, who was a star tight end for the Patriots.

“He’s coming back with a vengeance,” Gronkoski said. “And I’ve been hearing on the streets the Atlanta Falcons are coming in hot for Coach Belichick.”

FOX Sports AFC East reporter Henry McKenna took on the task of explaining Belichick’s successful yet complicated tenure with the Patriots and former quarterback Tom Brady. 

“It’s obvious now that Brady deserves more credit for the team’s success during the dynasty, but that shouldn’t lessen the way Belichick maximized his rosters, both in acquiring the right personnel (as GM) and in deploying those players on the field (as coach). If anything, Brady’s impact shows not that Belichick was unimportant. No, it shows merely that great players, and particularly great quarterbacks, are more valuable than the greatest coaches in the NFL. Brady had more influence than Belichick could ever have hoped to have. And I think that’s true now more than ever — that this is a players’ game — including when Belichick took over in 2000.” 

If Belichick has a desire to continue coaching, there are several franchises that presumably would have to inquire about the man whom many consider the best coach in the history of football. 

But as McKenna noted, Belichick will be putting his legacy on the line if he is to take another head coaching job.

“Though Belichick is 71, I believe he’ll coach again, even if he ends up on TV for a year. I believe he wants another Super Bowl to go with the 14 victories he needs to surpass Don Shula and become the NFL’s winningest coach. All he really needs is a few winning seasons to help the NFL world forget about the four when he sunk the Patriots. 

“This next phase will go a long way toward getting rid of all the ifs and buts from his legacy. If Belichick turns around a different franchise, he’ll remove the complications from his legacy. If he sinks another franchise, well, his legacy only gets worse.”

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