The Bill Belichick era for the New England Patriots is officially over. After 24 years at the helm, the Patriots have finally decided to seek a new voice to helm the team. Now, Belichick is entering the coaching market as one of the most attractive targets for teams looking to turn things around, with the Atlanta Falcons emerging as one of the potential destinations for the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach.

According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, fans should expect to hear a lot more noise about Belichick's candidacy as the next Falcons head coach. This report was seconded by Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Falcons, as Schefter pointed out, have a history of going big-name hunting in the coaching department, chasing the likes of Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells in the past. It then stands to reason that with Belichick being a free agent, he'll be one of the foremost names owner Arthur Blank will be chasing on the coaching carousel.

However, the Falcons won't be having any tunnel vision in this pursuit of a new head coach. In addition to their expected interest in Bill Belichick, they have also requested interviews for two coaches who were instrumental in the Detroit Lions' success this season in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson (h/t Tom Pelissero of NFL Network) and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (h/t Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

Continuing this trend of looking at coaching options that are coming from successful teams in 2023, the Falcons have also reportedly requested permission to interview San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks for their head coaching opening, according to Rapoport.

In terms of track record, the safest option among those four remains Bill Belichick. He has considerable history of success, although for the past few years with the Patriots in the post-Tom Brady era, his team has struggled quite a bit. Could Belichick be past his prime?

After all, finding the next Belichick may be the wave. Belichick was acquired by the Patriots back when he was still a defensive coordinator for the New York Jets. Could hiring one of Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, or Steve Wilks be the best option for the Falcons instead?