AirPods not connecting MacBook Pro (Big Sur)

Hi,

I am trying to connect my airpods to a 2019 macbook pro (with Big Sur ver. 11.6) for a while, but seems to be stuck at the stage in the screenshot. With this spinning wheel, I can't even close the system preference because it kept trying to connect the airpods.

I tried resetting NVRAM and connecting the airpords again (pressing the back button with lids open) as in this support answer but this didn't seem to be working. What else can I do to fix this problem?