Bedard: Belichick is looking to get the band back together

On Tuesday's Felger & Mazz program, Greg Bedard joined the show to explain why he thinks Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, Joe Judge and Matt Patricia might reunite together on an NFL team.

Parts of conversation abbreviated for clarity.

Greg Bedard: The big overarching thing with all of this is what will Bill [Belichick] do next? 

I think many [coaches] are waiting to see what Bill does, and many of them are hoping to go with him. 

Felger: Really? Including Bill O'Brien? 

Look, the scuttlebutt among the league is that they think Bill will get the band back together with McDaniels, O'Brien, Joe Judge, and Matt Patricia. All of that stuff. 

Mazz: Is Brady coming back too? 

Felger: O'Brien and Josh McDaniels? 

Greg Bedard: There's a sense that McDaniels might be looking to take a step back a little bit. He would be more like an assistant head coach or personnel liaison. Similar to what Matt Patricia and Joe Judge have done in recent years. They could do that sort of thing for a year or two. 

I don't know if this is a fact, but it's being talked about in league circles. People think Bill is lining things up. 

That could be why Steve and Brian Belichick apparently have offers. It doesn't look like they've done anything with it yet. That could change very quickly. We could hear all sorts of announcements tomorrow. 

So, I would put the chances of O'Brien being back with the Patriots as low. McDaniels, I would also put it low. I think that McDaniels would listen to any offers. He's talked to other teams about other opportunities. And you also have to understand that given his contract with the Raiders, McDaniels has to listen to every offer, or the Raiders could come after his money. 

Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

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Bill Belichick is out as Patriots head coach. The question now is, where does he go next?

We'll have all the news & rumors covered every step of the way with our official Bill Belichick Tracker at 985TheSportsHub.com. Belichick is certain to have a multitude of suitors around the NFL, and there's already been plenty of reporting from top NFL insiders on where Belichick might land next.

The only team to fill their head coaching vacancy so far is, ironically, the Patriots, who have named Jerod Mayo their next guy. But Belichick's next stop is sure to be one of the biggest subjects of rumors throughout the NFL off-season, even among Patriots fans. Until he actually joins a new team, we'll all be on "Belichick Watch."

Read below for the latest news & rumors surrounding Belichick and his next team in the tracker below.

In perhaps the least surprising news in recorded history, Mark Maske of the Washington Post has named a few potential names for Bill Belichick's coaching staff, should he join the Atlanta Falcons. Would anyone be shocked if Matt Patricia, Josh McDaniels, or Joe Judge joined Belichick in Atlanta? Of course they wouldn't.

READ MORE: This detail about Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia highlights the Patriots' dysfunction

No surprise here, but Dianna Russini of The Athletic is reporting Bill Belichick as the Atlanta Falcons' "top candidate" to become their next head coach. Falcons owner Arthur Blank flew his private jet to New England to bring Belichick to Atlanta for more meetings, after the pair met privately for dinner.

Belichick and the Falcons are one step closer. According to Ian Rapoport, Belichick is set to have a second interview with the Falcons this weekend. Rapoport adds: "Things are ramping up with the greatest coach of all time..."

Falcons owner Arthur Blank previously met with Belichick 1-on-1 about potentially joining his organization. It sounds like the Falcons have emerged as the favorites for Belichick's services.

Bill Belichick has oficially completed his first head coaching interview of 2024. As first reported by Tom PelisseroTom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Belichick recently met with Falcons owner Arthur Blank to discuss their HC opening.

Pelissero reports that the interest between the two sides is mutual and the talks are “ongoing.” However, a deal is “not imminent” at this time.

The Falcons were previously reported to have interest in Belichick, even before he and the Patriots officially parted ways.

The Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers continue to be bandied about as possible destinations for Belichick. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said Friday that the Panthers looked into Belichick even last season, so their interest should continue now that he's a free agent.

What if Belichick's next team is playing in the playoffs right now? That's an interesting idea posed by Ted Johnson on Thursday's Zolak & Bertrand show. If the Eagles flame out and move on from Nick Sirianni, Belichick might be the ideal hire for them, as a ready-made team in "win now" mode.

(Click here to subscribe to Zolak & Bertrand.)

Patriots insider Jeff Howe joined Toucher & Hardy on Thursday to discuss Belichick's departure from the Patriots. The Los Angeles Chargers have a head coach opening and, as a team with a franchise quarterback in place and a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, seem to make sense as a landing spot for Belichick. However, Howe believes the Chargers "are going to want a younger offensive minded head coach," and thus won't be in the mix for Belichick.

(Click here to subscribe to Toucher & Hardy.)

Dianna Russini of The Athletic recently wrote in a column about the NFL's head coach carousel: " There are other organizations, like the Commanders and Raiders, hoping to get a chance to meet with [Bill] Belichick." So, add them to the list. The Commanders recently hired former 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters to be their new GM, and he previously worked for the Patriots as a scout under Belichick.

https://theathletic.com/5182695/2024/01/06/nfl-week-18-coaching-carousel-news/