The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons plan to hire Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their new head coach, snubbing former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, according to reports Thursday.
The NFL Network and ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported that Morris would replace Arthur Smith, who was fired after the Falcons went 7-10 this season.
Morris had been an assistant coach for the Falcons under head coach Dan Quinn from 2015-2020, taking over as an interim head coach for the last 11 games of the 2020 campaign after Quinn was fired.
Morris spent the past three seasons as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. He helped the Rams beat Cincinnati in the 2022 Super Bowl and was on the Tampa Bay staff as a defensive assistant coach when the Buccaneers won the 2003 Super Bowl.
Belichick, winner of a record six Super Bowl titles as a coach during his run from 2000-2023 with the Patriots, parted ways with the club on January 11 but thus far has only been interviewed by the Falcons, who spoke with him twice but now appear set on Morris.
Also among the 14 candidates the Falcons interviewed for the coaching job was Jim Harbaugh, who was hired Wednesday as coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Morris spent three seasons as an NFL head coach with the Bucs from 2009-2011, going 17-31, and he was 4-7 under the interim tag in 2020 with Atlanta.
The Rams have reached the playoffs in two of the past three seasons with Morris on the coaching staff.
The Falcons have not had a winning season or playoff berth since 2017.
