Following another Atlanta Falcons' victory, it's no guarantee they fire Raheem Morris at the end of the season. The Falcons are now sitting at 6-9 and given Arthur Blank's history of being patient with his coaches, it could mean that Morris has shown enough to warrant receiving another year at the helm.
In the event that the 49-year-old is retained, it means the fans who have been lobbying for Bill Belichick will be disappointed. Belichick was the runner-up for Atlanta's coaching job when they hired Morris, and is right back in the mix to be his successor despite a rough season at North Carolina.
However, we just received some massive news that could suggest the legendary head coach won't be leaving Chapel Hill anytime. On Monday morning, it was reported that the Tar Heels were hiring ex-Falcons' head coach Bobby Petrino to be their next offensive coordinator, which is a pretty big swing.
Bill Belichick's hopes of jumping to the NFL are dashed after North Carolina hired ex-Falcons head coach to be their new OC
In the 73-year-old's first season at the helm, UNC went 4-8 and 2-6 in ACC play, which saw Belichick fire OC Freddie Kitchens. It was reported that Petrino and Chip Kelly were the frontrunners for the vacancy, which saw the polarizing college coach become the new lead man for the Tar Heels' offense.
Falcons fans will remember Petrino for his time as the head coach in Atlanta, where the team went 3-10 before his midseason resignation in 2007. They hired him to work with Michael Vick, but when Vick was arrested due to his dogfighting scandal, the 64-year-old's locker room management was met with criticism.
He left for Arkansas soon after resigning which also ended in scandal. However, Petrino still returned to Fayetteville this past season to be the offensive coordinator. However, when coach Sam Pittman was fired, he took over as the interim head coach, where the Razorbacks went 0-7 under his tutelage.
Despite what reports may suggest, it is highly unlikely that Belichick was ever a serious candidate for the Falcons. Ideally, they would want a younger coach better suited for the modern game, while his constant criticism of the organization after they hired Morris surely didn't go over very well with Blank.
With that said, as long as Morris is winning games, this could all be a moot point once the offseason rolls around. But given the fact that the Super Bowl-winning coach is in the midst of a staff overhaul to improve on North Carolina's dismal 2025 season, a return the NFL does not appear imminent.