The Washington Commanders decided to hire former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as the team’s next head coach, announcing the decision on Thursday afternoon, but it sounds like the team was very much considering the possibility of hiring longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick instead.
After parting ways with the Patriots last month, Bill Belichick has spent the past couple of days looking for a new team. And according to a report from NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Washington Commanders were considering hiring Belichick as their head coach before settling on Quinn.
“During the hiring process in Washington, Bill Belichick was considered for the job, per sources. The Commanders spoke with him and he had support from some decision makers. In the end, Dan Quinn is their choice,” Russini said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
During the hiring process in Washington, Bill Belichick was considered for the job, per sources. The Commanders spoke with him and he had support from some decision makers. In the end, Dan Quinn is their choice.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) February 1, 2024
Obviously, this news led to a lot of reactions on social media.
This is interesting but at the end of the day I like Quinn a lot more than Belichick.
I think this really shows how much emphasis the Commanders had on leadership traits during the process https://t.co/IHL8vkqH4d
— Mason Kinnahan (@Mason_Kinnahan) February 1, 2024
Cede control and win or keep control and be mediocre. That's the Hiring Belichick decision tree and everyone is choosing control, job security and mediocrity. https://t.co/YGQ1zusJIW
— Wildes (@kevinwildes) February 1, 2024
The Commanders front office really sat down and watched the 28-3 comeback and hired the guy who blew the lead vs the guy who managed the comeback https://t.co/t58nOsPxOb
— Brett Foulke (@BrettFoulke) February 1, 2024
Imagine trying to explain this Tweet to someone 3 years ago https://t.co/aXQw2M96mN
— Mike Herndon (@MikeHerndonNFL) February 1, 2024
this is just, wow https://t.co/PAurpzY24M
— Chris Brockman🎙️ (@chrisbrockman) February 1, 2024
So both the Commanders and Falcons spoke with Bill Belichick about their head coaching vacancy.
Both went in different directions. https://t.co/yIQS4SKexJ
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) February 1, 2024
With the Commanders ultimately opting to hire Quinn instead, this means that the hiring cycle is now complete for all of the teams who were in need of head coaches, meaning Belichick will not be a head coach next season.
