Bill Belichick did not get the Atlanta Falcons job. Instead, owner Arthur Blank opted to go with Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. 

Hiring Morris is not a surprise. He has a history with the Falcons, once serving an interim head coach and he fits better with the organizational structure in place. Morris will simply coach the football team and have a say in personnel matters but all personnel decisions will be made collaboratively. Stop me if you have heard that before. 

Ultimately, Blank opted to not hire Belichick because he did not want to change things. Belichick would have wanted final say on personnel, which would have squeezed out general manager Terry Fontonot. Blank opted to keep Fontonot and the front office structure in place.

It should not be a surprise that Belichick did not get the job. His age coupled with the requirement that he have final say on personnel have been sticking points for teams with openings. Add to that his lack of success in recent years and teams are passing on the greatest coach of all-time. 

So what does this mean for the Patriots assistants who were on staff the past few years, specifically Belichick’s sons Steve and Brian? As of last week, both had an offer to stay with the Patriots and one would think they will now more than likely stay barring their father getting a job late. 

As for the rest of the assistants, it is all up in the air. Bill O’Brien is already gone so the Patriots have an offensive coordinator opening. New coach Jerod Mayo has already begun interviewing for the position but could this open the door for a possible Josh McDaniels return? We shall see. 

Defensively, Mayo has interviewed candidates for the defensive coordinator position including defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington. If Steve Belichick comes back, will he simply be a position coach? 

All questions that need to be answered in the coming days. Belichick not getting a job in this cycle certainly impacts the Patriots, probably more than you think.