Rating potential landing spots for Bill Belichick. Could he wind up with a division rival?

The greatest coach of all time is on the market, could he wind up in the NFC South or elsewhere?

The first half of the Brady-Belichick pairing wound up in the NFC South when Tom Brady came to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Could the New Orleans Saints have to contend with Bill Belichick now that he has officially left the Patriots, or will he wind up elsewhere? Let’s look at the pros and cons of some potential landing spots.

Atlanta Falcons

The Saints most hated rivals have been linked early as a possible landing spot for Belichick, but is this the best spot for future hall of fame coach? Some pros of joining the Falcons would be a high draft pick, a roster that already has some good pieces, and the advantage of a weak division. The Falcons have the #8 pick in the draft this year, and their roster includes quality players like Jessie Bates III and A.J Terrell on defense and Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts on offense who unfortunately are now rid of coaching genius Arthur Smith.

Say what you want about the Atlanta Falcons but Arthur Blank is a good and proactive owner, and you know he will definitely shoot his shot to try and land Belichick. The most obvious con with the Falcons is a lack of quarterback. Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke are not long term solutions, so would Belichick really go somewhere that doesn’t have a QB after the troubles he had finding one in New England?

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are also a team in search of a new head coach after firing Frank Reich 11 games into the season. The Panthers were the worst team in the league this year and rookie QB Bryce Young had a bad first season. On top of it all, the Panthers do not have their first round pick this year after trading up for Young. The bright spot for Carolina last year was their defense, which ranked 4th in the league despite the 2-15 record. Belichick is a defensive minded coach and perhaps the opportunity to work with a young QB with room to grow and an elite defense would be enough to sway him towards Carolina. The cons of the Panthers job are a lack of draft capital and an owner with a shaky reputation. David Tepper has made three coaching changes in the last five seasons and at times involves himself too much in football decisions, evident by reports that he was the one who swayed the draft room from CJ Stroud and towards Bryce Young. The lack of a first round pick for the team with the worst record in football and a hands-on owner might not be quite what Belichick is looking for.

Seattle Seahawks

With long-time head coach Pete Carroll stepping down in Seattle, the Seahawks are now looking for a head coach for the first time since 2009. The Seahawks have one of the better rosters among teams needing a new head coach, and have been one of the best organizations in the NFL since Carroll took over.

QB Geno Smith has played very well in two seasons since taking over for Russell Wilson, and the lack of playing time and mileage on him in the middle of his career could extend his career longer than the average 33-year old quarterback. Smith could provide a long-term bridge to give the Seahawks and Belichick time to find their QB of the next 10 years, and also is one of the better win now options out there. Cons of this job are a lack of draft capital and cap space. The Seahawks are only $4 million over the cap and don’t have a second round pick this year, so there isn’t much room for improvement on this roster. Bit of trivia for you too, guess who Belichick’s predecessor in New England was? If you said Pete Carroll, you would be correct.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Los Angeles Chargers

Perhaps the best opportunity to win now for Belichick would be with the Los Angeles Chargers. They have their franchise QB locked up for the future and have a roster full of talent in addition to the #5 pick in the upcoming draft. They will need to do some work to get under the cap but it can be done. The Chargers biggest problem over the last two seasons was coaching, an issue Belichick would instantly solve. Taking a job with the Chargers would keep him away from the Saints in the NFC South and the NFC in general, so if we are hoping to avoid clashes with the greatest coach of all time we should hope he heads out west.

Make sure you follow Canal Street Chronicles on X at @SaintsCSC, “Like” us on Facebook at Canal Street Chronicles, follow us on Instagram at @SaintsCSC, and make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel. As always, you can follow me on X at @HaydenReel.