Recent reports suggest that the Falcons search for a GM may end soon after Monday when they interview Eagles GM Tom Heckert for the position. It is believed by a number of sources that Heckert is leaning towards taking the Falcons job and is considered the front runner by those in Flowery Branch. Heckert’s interest may be due to the prospect of receiving “final say” over personnel matters, a power currently enjoyed by Eagles head coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia.

To date, the Falcons have only interviewed two other candidates for the GM position, both Packers executives Reggie McKenzie and John Schneider. The Falcons have reportedly shown interest in other candidates including New England Patriots director of college scouting Tom Dimitroff, Baltimore Ravens director of personnel George Kokinis, Kansas City VP of player personnel Bill Kuharich, and San Diego Chargers assistant GM Buddy Nix. Although there have been no reports that formal interviews have been arranged between the Falcons and those parties.

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Falcons have extended the contract of current president and GM Rich McKay by two years. McKay’s contract ran through at least 2008, and so with the extension he is now under contract through at least 2010. McKay’s future with the team was tenuous due to the team’s search for a replacement general manager. Owner Arthur Blank however indicated last month that McKay was asked to stay on as team president, but would be stripped of his general manager duties. It was undetermined if McKay would stay on in a lesser role, but this extension clearly indicates that he will.

McKay has been travelling with Blank during his this week for all the interviews with prospective general manager and head coaching candidates, indicating that he does still retain at least a small bit of influence in the matter.

Josh McDaniels, per an ESPN report has withdrawn his names from candidacy for the prospective Falcons head coaching position. McDaniels issued a statement indicating that he will remain with the New England Patriots for the time being:

“I am very grateful for the chance to interview for NFL head coaching positions, but I have decided not to pursue those opportunities at this time. I plan to focus all my attention on our postseason preparation.”

NFL.com’s Adam Schefter also reports that prospective GM candidate Chris Polian of the Indianapolis Colts declined the chance to interview with Arthur Blank on Thursday for the prospective job.

Also, updating previous reports, the Falcons are expected to interview potential GM candidate Tom Heckert on Monday. Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer cites a team source as indicating of Heckert’s considerable interest in the Falcons GM job and will receive “final say” over personnel matters. Heckert will fly to Atlanta on Sunday.

The Falcons have requested permission to interview New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels according to Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe. Reiss cites league sources indicating that McDaniels will be a candidate for both the Falcons and Baltimore Ravens. The Falcons are also said to be courting Tom Dimitroff, the director of college scouting for the Patriots, as a potential general manager for the team.

McDaniels, 31, was in charge of the league’s No. 1 scoring offense this year. McDaniels broke into NFL coaching ranks with the Patriots in 2001 as a defensive and personnel asssistant. In 2004, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach and began coordinating the offense in 2006. Prior to that he was a gradudate assistant at Michigan State for two years, following a playing career as a wide receiver at John Carroll University.

Dimitroff, 40, was promoted to his current position prior to the 2003 season, a year after joining the Patriots. Prior to his experience with the Patriots, he worked as a scout for the Cleveland Browns (1998-01), Detroit Lions (1994-97), and Kansas City Chiefs (1993). He also worked in the World League (1992) and Canadian Football Leagues (1990-91) as a personnel assistant. His father, Tom Dimitroff, Sr. spent a single season with the Boston Patriots in 1960 as a quarterback. Dimitroff in the past has been a candidate for other GM vacancies including the Miami Dolphins (2005) and Minnesota Vikings (2006), and at one point has been considered the heir apparent to current Patriots GM Scott Pioli in case Pioli decides to move on.

NFL.com’s Adam Schefter reports that Falcons owner Arthur Blank has officially begun the search for the team’s next general manager as he was in Green Bay on Wednesday to interview two potential candidates in Packers director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie and personnel analyst John Schneider. According to Shefter, tomorrow Blank will travel to Indianapolis to interview Chris Polian, son of Colts president Bill Polian. Also on Blank’s radar as far as general manager candidates is Philadelphia Eagles general manager Tom Heckert, per Schefter.

McKenzie, 44, spent seven season as a pro linebacker playing for the Los Angeles Raiders, Phoenix Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Montreal Machine of the World League before retiring after 1992. He served as an assistant coach at the University of Tennessee following his playing days before he was hired by Ron Wolf in 1994 as a pro personnel assistant. He was promoted to his current position following the 1997 NFL Draft.

Schneider, 36, has served in his current capacity in the Packers front office since 2002, fulfilling a role similar to that of an assistant to GM Ted Thompson. This marks his second stint with the Packers, originally joining that organization as an intern under then GM Ron Wolf in 1992. He spent the next four years as a pro personnel assistant before moving on to join the Kansas City Chiefs front office as their director of pro personnel. After three years in Kansas City, he moved to Seattle as director of player personnel for a single year. He then worked for the Washington Redskins with then head coach Marty Schottenheimer as vice president of player personnel before re-joining the Packers. Schottenheimer has already been mentioned as a potential candidate for the Falcons head coaching position, making a possible Schneider-Schottenheimer match appealing.

Polian, 35, is currently the vice president of football operations for the Colts, his third season in that capacity. He initially joined the Colts in 1998 as director of pro scouting, before moving onto assistant director of football operations in 2001 and assistant general manager in 2004. He previously worked as a scout under his father with the Carolina Panthers from 1994 until 1996, and was the Panthers pro personnel coordinator in 1997. His first stint in the ranks of pro personnel came as an assistant with the now defunct CFL team Sacramento Gold Miners in 1993. In the past, Polian has been a candidate for vacant GM jobs in both Miami and San Francisco.

Heckert, 40, is just finishing his second season as GM of the Eagles, but initially joined their front office following the 2001 draft. Then, he was the team’s director of player personnel before being promoted two years later to vice president of player personnel. Prior to joining the Eagles staff, he worked as a scout and personnel director for the Miami Dolphins for a total of 11 years. His father, Tom Heckert, Sr. served as a long-time scout with the Dolphins before retiring in 2004.

As previously reported, Schefter also reports that on Friday Blank will be in Dallas interviewing two potential head coaching candidates in Cowboys assistants Tony Sparano and Jason Garrett.

Arthur Blank has enlisted the help of former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi in his search for potential GM candidates here in Atlanta according to an AJC by Steve Wyche. Accorsi is working as an adviser to Blank in helping the Falcons compile a list of potential candidates to replace Rich McKay as GM of the team. Blank has indicated that McKay will have the opportunity to stay with the franchise in his other capacity as team president.

Accorsi spent 8 seasons between 1998 and 2006 as the Giants GM, after serving the previous 4 as an assistant to then GM George Young. Accorsi retired this past January and was replaced by Jerry Reese.

In the article, Wyche also names several possible candidates, listing: Dallas Cowboys president of college and pro scouting Jeff Ireland, Kansas City Chiefs V.P. of player personnel Bill Kuharich, Green Bay Packers director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie, and San Diego Chargers assistant GM Buddy Nix as potential candidates. Once a GM is hired, he, Blank, and McKay are expected to work together to hire the team’s next head coach.

As well, Wyche makes mention of several candidates that could become the Falcons next head coach: Marty Schottenheimer, current Falcons assistants Hue Jackson and Mike Zimmer, 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, Packers assistant head coach Winston Moss, Rams defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and assistant head coach Dante Scarnecchia.

Amidst more discussion of potential hires for the Falcons head coach, Pro Football Talk has thrown a new name into the fire: Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan. The website reports that league sources have indicated that the Falcons are currently exploring the possibility of pursuing Shanahan.

Because Shanahan is currently under contract with the Broncos, the Falcons might be liable to compensate the team. Shanahan is on the verge of finishing his thirteenth season with the Broncos. He has compiled a 137-90 regular season record and 8-5 in the playoffs, including 2 Super Bowl victories in 1997 and 1998 over the Falcons. He also coached for a little more than a year with the then Los Angeles Raiders in the late 1980s. He compiled a 8-12 record before being dismissed partway in the 1989 season.

Pro Football Talk also reports that the Falcons may hire Bill Kuharich as their general manager, replacing current GM and president Rich McKay. Kuharich currently is the Vice President of Player Personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs. Kuharich served as GM for the New Orleans Saints prior to joining the Chiefs in 2000. Kuharich was in charge of the team’s personnel department during the infamous 1999 draft day trade in which the Saints parted ways with their entire draft class in order to move up to draft running back Ricky Williams.

Also on the coaching search front, the AJC reports that the 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary has expressed interest in becoming the Falcons next head coach. Singletary indicated to the paper that he feels he’s ready to be an NFL coach right now. There has been no contact between the Falcons and Singletary as of yet, but he has thus far emerged as an early favorite.

SI.com’s Jim Trotter writes that Marty Schottenheimer has not yet heard from the Falcons about their potential interest in him as a head coach. A report from the San Diego Union-Tribune indicated that the Falcons have made overtures to seek Schottenheimer to replace Bobby Petrino as head coach, according to league sources. Trotter’s report would seemingly refute that initial report.

“I have not heard a word from anybody about anything relating to the Falcons.”

– Marty Schottenheimer

The Union-Tribune’s report also indicated that the Falcons are seeking Chargers assistant GM Buddy Nix to serve as their own GM. Trotter’s report again refutes that, indicating that Nix has not heard anything from the Falcons either.

Schottenheimer also indicated that he is unsure if he will return to football, citing the changes that have occurred in the game over the years since he began. Schottenheimer in 21 years of head coaching in the NFL has yet to win a championship, and implied that any return to the league would likely be for a team that was in a position to win one in the short-term.

Updating previous reports, Bill Parcells has reportedly denied the job offer from the Atlanta Falcons to join the club to oversee football operations. Reportedly, Parcells is re-considering a revised offer from the Miami Dolphins. Falcons owner Arthur Blank released a statement earlier today to address the Parcells issue:

“Late last night it was revealed to the media by a source outside the Falcons that we were close to reaching an agreement with Bill Parcells to lead the club’s football operations.”

Prior to the information becoming public, we had reached an agreement in principle with Parcells, and we met with him this morning to complete the contract. At that time, we were made aware by Parcells that he was considering a revised offer from the Miami Dolphins. He later informed us that he would not be signing a contract with us.”

We remain committed to looking at every option for building a championship-caliber team for our fans. I have stated we will leave no stone unturned in doing so, and this effort is one example of that. We gave it our best shot, and it didn’t work out.”

We will continue down the same overall path, proceeding with plans to hire a general manager and a head coach. We will identify and consider every strongly viable candidate for these positions, with the goal of hiring the best. Rich McKay remains President of the club and will retain general manager responsibilities until a new GM is hired.”

We will be making no further comment on the Parcells matter.”

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported on NFL Live today that he expects that Rich McKay will not return to the Falcons after the season. Reportedly, McKay will be given the opportunity to remain with the club as President, but Mortensen expects McKay to turn down that opportunity.

Gary Myers of the New York Daily News reports that Bill Parcells is close to accepting an offer to oversee the football operations of the Atlanta Falcons. Per Myers, a deal could be finalized by the end of the day today. But Parcells indicated that he has no plans to be the Falcons next head coach. In his new position, Parcells is expected to hire a new general manager and head coach. Parcells will essentially be taking over the position of football operations from President and GM Rich McKay. However, Parcells indicated that McKay is welcome to stay on with the franchise to handle league business. It is unknown if McKay does plan to stay with the franchise as this move seems to basically strip of his influence over personnel decisions.

Parcells currently works as an analyst for ESPN, after four seasons recently with the Dallas Cowboys as head coach. Parcells has coached in the NFL for 19 seasons with four different teams. In previous areas, he has served both as coach and oversaw a lot of personnel decisions, but has only worked solely in the personnel department once. That came in 2000 with the New York Jets, when Al Groh was the team’s head coach. That year with the Jets, Parcells managed to stockpile four first round draft picks. One of those picks was current Falcon defensive John Abraham. He was able to acquire some of those picks in trading wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then managed by Rich McKay. Parcells was once pursued by the Buccaneers for their head coach position following the 2001 season, but denied them.