Bill Belichick was passed over in the NFL hiring cycle last offseason following his January departure from the New England Patriots. While he has spent this season out of coaching but practically omnipresent as a media personality and football analyst, there was a presumption that he planned to return to an NFL sideline next season.
So it came as a surprise in recent days not that Belichick was in discussions for a coaching vacancy, but that his conversations were with University of North Carolina representatives. Although it remains to be seen how serious each side is, the talks reinforce the notion that he plans to coach in 2025.
They also signal to NFL teams that he just might have a wider variety of options – and that if any franchise is interested in hiring Belichick, it might have to move quicker and more resolutely than anticipated.
“I’m not sure where it will be, but I do think you’ll see him get a job,” said an agent who represents coaches but does not represent Belichick.
Belichick turns 73 in April. He is arguably the greatest coach in NFL history, with nine Super Bowl appearances and six titles in 24 seasons with the Patriots. He teamed with owner Robert Kraft and quarterback Tom Brady to preside over a dynasty during an era in which the entire NFL system, from revenue sharing to free agency to the salary cap to the draft to the scheduling formula, is designed to promote competitive balance and on-field parity.
The previous NFL hiring cycle, however, took place when the memories were fresh of how badly things ended for Belichick in New England. The Patriots had just gone 4-13 in his final season. They had reached the playoffs only once in four seasons following Brady’s exit from the franchise after the 2019 season, going 29-38 during the regular season over that span. Some may have viewed Belichick as damaged coaching goods, a sideline legend whose best days had passed.
The Atlanta Falcons interviewed Belichick twice but hired Raheem Morris. The Washington Commanders spoke to Belichick, but a person familiar with the Commanders’ dealings with Belichick described them at the time as a “kick the tires” conversation that “really didn’t go anywhere.” The Commanders hired Dan Quinn.
There was speculation in and around the league then that teams were looking for more collaborative leadership and may have been wary of handing sweeping power to Belichick or allowing him to reassemble his band of coaching lieutenants. Of course, it never was established that Belichick was seeking final say over roster construction or that he wanted to rehire many of his former assistant coaches or front office colleagues.
Whatever the case, the memories of Belichick’s unsightly final stages with the Patriots are not so fresh now. And he has had 11 months since his January parting with the Patriots to rehabilitate his football image. He always had the ability to be far more insightful and charming when he chose to turn off the drab, monotone, “on to Cincinnati” coach-speak of his news conference persona. The chatty, engaging, knowledge-dispensing version of Belichick has been on display frequently in recent months in his regular appearances on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show, the same network’s Monday night ManningCast, and the CW Network’s Inside the NFL, among other media endeavours.
He has never coached in college. But his father, Steve, was a longtime assistant coach and scout at the Naval Academy. His son Steve was the defensive co-ordinator at the University of Washington this season after coaching on Belichick’s staff in New England for 12 seasons. (Another son, Brian, remained with the Patriots as their safeties coach under successor Jerod Mayo.) Belichick spent time around the Huskies program this year while visiting his son.
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There have been reports in recent days of Belichick being open to college coaching and displaying a genuine interest in the North Carolina job. The Tar Heels went 6-6 this season and fired Mack Brown as their coach. But some people familiar with the deliberations say they are skeptical that either side is seriously interested in the other and doubtful that Belichick will be the choice or would take the job.
Several former and current Belichick associates said in recent days they remain convinced that he wants to return to the NFL. That’s what he knows. He is 14 victories from Don Shula’s record of 347 wins, including the postseason (and 26 triumphs shy of Shula’s record 328 regular season victories). Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win without Belichick. Can Belichick win a Super Bowl without Brady? Some who know Belichick say they believe he is sending a message to owners that they better have a sense of urgency about hiring him.
“I still think the focus is NFL teams,” one Belichick associate said.
Three NFL teams — the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears — fired their coaches this season. There surely will be more vacancies come January.
The Dallas Cowboys have a disappointing 5-7 record and Mike McCarthy is in the final season of his contract. The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-10 under their third-year coach, Doug Pederson. New York Giants co-owner John Mara has vowed to retain Brian Daboll as coach and Joe Schoen as general manager, but they have done little to bolster that trust, with the Giants at 2-10. Brady is now a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, who are 2-10 after retaining Antonio Pierce following his interim-coaching stint last season.
“It has to be the right fit, to me,” a high-ranking team official said of Belichick’s prospective landing spots across the NFL.
The Cowboys have a franchise quarterback in Dak Prescott and had three straight 12-5 seasons under McCarthy before this season’s travails. Owner Jerry Jones has expressed his admiration for Belichick and has said the two could work together. But Jones recently left open the possibility of retaining McCarthy beyond this season.
Brady’s presence makes the Raiders interesting. The reports of his relationship with Belichick being strained late in his Patriots tenure are a fading memory now, and the two are publicly cordial and complimentary of one another. But one person with knowledge of the dynamic between Brady and Belichick said the Raiders’ previous failure with Josh McDaniels — formerly Belichick’s offensive co-ordinator in New England — as their head coach may make owner Mark Davis wary of pursuing Belichick, and Belichick reluctant to consider the job.
Belichick has a long history with the Giants as a former assistant coach for them. Some observers view Jacksonville as a potential Belichick destination, since the Jaguars have Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and owner Shad Khan could be willing to give Belichick a great deal of authority. The Jets seemingly are not a factor — they have a quarterback dilemma, with Aaron Rodgers’s uncertain status, and Belichick famously resigned as the Jets’ head coach just as he was to be formally introduced. The Bears have Caleb Williams at quarterback and are a flagship NFL franchise, but few observers are mentioning them as a major factor in any Belichick chase.
It all will make for plenty of intrigue in the coming weeks. Belichick’s discussions with North Carolina have put the topic back in the public conversation sooner than expected.