Hall of Fame coach has theory about teams passing on Bill Belichick

Pittsburgh Steelers legend, Hall of Fame head coach and current CBS Sports NFL analyst Bill Cowher has a theory on why teams seemingly passed on hiring Bill Belichick this offseason. 

"He’s not getting any younger," Cowher said about Belichick from the site of Super Bowl LVIII on Tuesday, as shared by Ryan Dunleavy and Steve Serby of the New York Post. "It’s a young man’s game. Let’s face it. You are constantly trying to get the young infusion." 

Specifically, Cowher mentioned how 39-year-old head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud guided the Houston Texans to a playoff victory in their first season working together. 

"We’re all looking for that kind of instant thing — a young quarterback and a young head coach paired together like a young Bill Belichick and a young Tom Brady," Cowher added. 

Belichick turns 72 years old in April. 

NFL insider Jeff Howe of The Athletic wrote for a piece published last week that "a growing concern over the coach’s ability to relate to this generation of players" was one reason teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders hired candidates other than Belichick this winter. 

However, Boomer Esiason of CBS Sports recently said that he heard from "an NFL executive" who thinks Falcons owner Arthur Blank "offered" Belichick the job of head coach but not the power to make personnel and draft decisions. 

The suggestion that Belichick rejected Blank's alleged offer is spreading among people in Las Vegas this week. 

"When he comes into the building, he wants the building," Esiason said Tuesday about what may or may not have happened regarding Belichick remaining a free agent. "The owner has to be willing to say, 'You can have the entire building because the people we have in here are so inept that I have to get rid of them.' The Falcons have a pretty good building — they’ve had pretty good drafts. The only thing they’ve been missing is a top-end quarterback." 

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid strongly hinted on Tuesday he won't retire following this Sunday's Super Bowl LVIII matchup versus the San Francisco 49ers regardless of the game's outcome. 

Assuming Reid stays put, Belichick will have to wait until the next hiring cycle to try and become a head coach again.