Bill Belichick rejected the chance to make an immediate return to coaching in the NFL, it has been claimed.
Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason says he has got it on good authority that Belichick was offered the Atlanta Falcons job.
Belichick left his role as New England Patriots head coach in January after leading the team to nine Super Bowls in 24 seasons in charge.
He revealed that it was a mutual decision between himself and Patriots owner Robert Kraft that they should go their separate ways.
Belichick was immediately linked with the Falcons vacancy after Arthur Smith was fired in early January.
There were reports that Belichick had more than one interview with Falcons owner Arthur Black.
It seemed as though the Falcons decided to go in a different direction when news broke that they had instead appointed Raheem Morris.
But it has now been claimed that Belichick may well have turned down the Falcons.
Speaking on his radio show Boomer and Gio, Esiason revealed that he has heard from a source that Belichick was offered the chance to step straight back into coaching.
The 1988 NFL MVP said: "I was told yesterday, and I do believe it from the source that I got it from, that supposedly Arthur Blank was bought into Bill Belichick and could have offered him the job.
"I don't know why guys say no, but legitimately, an NFL executive basically told me that they believe that Arthur Blank offered Bill the job."
Esiason wonders whether there were aspects of the job that didn't appeal to Belichick and reckons the legendary coach would rather wait a year until he gets a role he prefers elsewhere.
He added: "Now there may have been some caveats to that offer, you never know, it’s never 'OK Bill, I want you, here’s a five-year contract, you do whatever you want'. I don’t think it was one of those.
"The way it was made sound to me was like, 'OK, I understand your concerns, but you're going to have to deal with some of this. And we want you to come in, we want you to be the coach'.
"And then maybe he just thought better of it. And just maybe said, 'You know what, I don't want to go right back in, I want a year away, I want to see what happens' because we all know there will be about five or six job openings next year.
"And there may be a better situation where an owner says 'You know what, I want to go down this path with you and I want you to take my building over and I want you to run it the way that you ran it with the New England Patriots'."
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Belichick posted an emotional farewell to his old fans on social media at the weekend.
He wrote in a letter: "Nowhere in America are pro sports fans as passionate as in New England and for 24 years, I was blessed to feel your passion and power.
"The Patriots are the only NFL team representing SIX states but in reality, Patriots Nation knows no borders.
Bill Belichick left his role as New England Patriots head coach in January
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"You were undaunted by weather, attended scorching hot training camp practices and braved Foxborough's coldest, wettest, snowiest and windiest days.
"Your thoughtful letters offered support, critique, and creative play suggestions. You watched on TV, the internet, and from your stadium seats.
"You traveled from coast to coast and internationally. Numerous times, you overtook opposing stadiums and were the last fans standing.
"We loved it! You gave your precious time, resources, and energy to our team. We appreciated it!"
