Bill Belichick reportedly wants to coach a 'talented' but 'underachieving' team next following his departure from the New England Patriots.
The 71-year-old departed the Patriots last week after a glittering 24 years in charge.
The NFL franchise won six Super Bowl championships during that time, with Belichick also coaxing the best from Tom Brady.
On Tuesday, reports suggested he had held talks with the Atlanta Falcons as he plots a return to coaching.
Bill Belichick has held talks with the Atlanta Falcons as he plots a return to NFL
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And ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says Belichick wants to coach a 'talented' but 'underachieving' group of players next as he plots a return to the sport.
"We were hearing for a while that the Falcons were interested," he said.
"And so now I'm hearing that there is mutual interest between the Falcons and Belichick.
"To what extent? Still unclear.
"But enough for them to meet in person with owner Arthur Blank talking to Belichick, hashing out what their vision might be for that program for a team that's really a quarterback away.
"I was told from the beginning that Belichick would likely target talented, yet underachieving teams.
"Atlanta probably falls in that category."
The Atlanta Falcons are currently on the lookout for a replacement for Arthur Smith.
Smith was recently axed by the side after three seasons in charge.
He reacted to his departure by saying: "With any job, you got a lot of confidence.
"But I am not going to give a state of the union right now on everything that's happened the last three years."
Belichick is considered one of the best coaches in NFL history.
He has 333 victories to his name, with only Hall of Famer Don Shula bettering that tally with 347.
Belichick isn't the only candidate being linked with the Falcons as they hunt a new coach, however.
Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver is one name being touted to take over.
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Bill Belichick is one of the best NFL coaches in history having won six Super Bowl titles during his glittering career
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So too is Caroline coordinator Ejiro Evero.
And Cincinnati offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, San Francisco defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald have also been linked with the post.
Speaking last week, Belichick said he was grateful for all the support he'd received during his time with the Patriots.
"It was an amazing opportunity and we received tremendous support.
"We had a vision of building a championship-winning football team here and it’s exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations, the amount of success that we were able to achieve together through a lot of hard work and contributions of so many people.
"Very proud of that and I’ll always have those great memories. I’ll carry those with me the rest of my life."
Bill Belichick could replace Arthur Smith as the coach of the Atlanta Falcons
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And the veteran also paid tribute to all the players he's worked with over the years, too.
"And a great deal of thanks and appreciation to the players," he continued.
"The players win games in the NFL and I've been very, very fortunate to coach some of the greatest players to have ever played.
"Regardless of how long a player was here, what their role was or how many games they played, or even if they didn't win championships, I respect the way the players come to work here on a daily basis.
"All of them that I've coached, and I've coached way over 1000."
He finished his farewell press conference by declaring: "I'll always be a Patriot."
