Bill Belichick could lead to Auburn football legend signing with Atlanta Falcons

CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan believes Bill Belichick's interest in and from the Atlanta Falcons could lead to Auburn football legend Cam Newton giving even more credence to the idea of signing with the Dirty Birds.

"What adds even more spice to Newton's desire to play for the Falcons is the franchise's current pursuit of former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick," Sullivan prefaced before saying, "Newton played under Belichick during the 2020 season and by all accounts, both sides had a solid working relationship, despite the club's 7-9 record that year. Belichick has already interviewed twice for the Falcons job."

Sullivan believes Newton would have to go against his own edict of needing to be a starting quarterback in the NFL in order to return.

"Newton, 34, would most likely serve as a veteran backup at this stage of his career to whoever the Falcons bring in, possibly with the No. 8 overall pick at the NFL Draft," Sullivan wrote.

Newton made waves on January 23 when he announced on Good Morning Football that he'd only consider one team, the Falcons, because he doesn't want to leave his family in Atlanta.

"Me having a family now, it's always been about family and I don't see myself leaving Atlanta," Newton said. "If it's not Atlanta, I don't want to [come back]."

Cam Newton ending NFL career in Atlanta would be treat for Auburn football fans

With the large majority of AU fans being situated in Alabama and Georgia, Newton returning to Atlanta to end his career on his own terms would be a massive treat for a fanbase that hasn't seen much success at the QB position outside of Newton in recent years at the NFL level.

After expecting a retirement announcement, it's nice to see Newton on the cusp of returning instead; of course, conditional of whether the Falcons would take him as an attention-grabbing backup.