ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons have hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their head coach after an exhaustive search that included six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The 47-year-old Morris is a familiar name in Atlanta, having served as the Falcons’ interim head coach for the final 11 games of the 2020 season after the firing of Dan Quinn. He previously coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons. Morris was hired by the Falcons after an exhaustive search in which 14 candidates were interviewed, with Belichick the most notable among them.

Earlier Thursday, the team conducted a second interview with Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, but decided in the end to go with a coach who worked in Atlanta from 2015-2020.

Morris becomes the first non-interim Black coach in Falcons history and joins general manager Terry Fontenot, who also is Black, in leading a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 2017.

After being passed over for the Falcons job after the 2020 season in favor of Arthur Smith, Morris was hired by the Rams to be their defensive coordinator for three seasons, a tenure that included a Super Bowl championship his first year.