DECEMBER 8: Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required) hears that Belichick’s interest in the UNC job is real, and that if he is offered the gig, he will accept it. Russini says that while Belichick is indeed motivated by breaking Shula’s record, that pursuit is not the “be-all, end-all.” She adds that Belichick was “turned off” by the lack of attention he received in this past offseason’s coaching cycle, and that he wants to run a football program without interference (it is unclear whether that contradicts earlier reports suggesting that Belichick is not necessarily seeking full control of football operations at his next stop).
However, there is still plenty of skepticism surrounding Belichick’s willingness to join the college ranks. Former and current Belichick associates tell Mark Maske of the Washington Post that the 72-year-old is focused on a return to the NFL, and that his conversations with UNC are intended to send a message to NFL front offices that he will have options and that there needs to be a sense of urgency about hiring him.
DECEMBER 6: The prospect of Bill Belichick taking an initial plunge into the college ranks in his 70s has generated understandable skepticism in NFL circles, as it has been widely reported the high-profile coaching free agent wants to return to the NFL. If his North Carolina connection is a bluff, however, it is fairly far down the runway.
Belichick met with Tar Heels reps a second time about their newly vacant HC position, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports, indicating this summit took place Thursday in Manhattan. Now holding a few media gigs, Belichick looks to be making it clear he wants to return to coaching next year — and a college debut may actually be in the cards, as farfetched as it sounds.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning HC does not want to be left out of a job during the upcoming cycle, Jones adds. But the Tar Heels’ timeline probably does not align with Belichick’s. The ACC program wants to have a Mack Brown successor in place early next week, Jones adds.
NFL teams who have not yet fired coaches cannot begin interviewing candidates on other staffs until after the wild-card round. Belichick can begin interviewing early, but teams must comply with the Rooney Rule and will naturally be interested in conducting several interviews. That cannot realistically happen until mid-January. If Belichick is a serious candidate for the North Carolina gig, he would need to bypass the 2025 NFL carousel.
Set to turn 73 in April, Belichick is not a guarantee to be on multiple additional NFL carousels. As mentioned several times in this space, no team has hired a coach older than 66 (Bruce Arians). Age undoubtedly factored into the lack of interest in Belichick this year, with the Falcons passing on a short-term partnership with the legendary coach. No other team conducted an official interview. That could well be the reason Belichick is open to the college game, even as the Division I-FBS level has seen massive changes over the past few years.
Belichick passing on this NFL cycle threatens to end his chances of breaking Don Shula‘s long-held career wins record. At 333 wins between the regular season and playoffs, Belichick is 14 shy of Shula. The former Patriots and Browns HC also wants to keep the record down the road, per Jones. Andy Reid‘s Kansas City success could threaten that. Reid, 66, just signed a five-year Chiefs extension and sits on 295 career wins. The prospect of Patrick Mahomes‘ current coach eventually moving into Shula range exists, even as Reid has been tied to seemingly annual retirement reports. His latest extension, one that made him the league’s highest-paid HC, should cool those rumors for a while.
Former Cardinals HC Steve Wilks is also a candidate for the job, according to Jones. Fired after one season as 49ers DC, Wilks has not been a head coach since his 2018 Cardinals one-and-done — a stint that prompted him to join Brian Flores‘ class-action discrimination suit. Wilks also has a recent past in the college ranks, being Missouri’s defensive coordinator in 2021, and an extensive past in North Carolina. The former Panthers interim HC is a North Carolina native who has spent much of his career in Charlotte.
As for Belichick’s NFL prospects, Jones confirms a recent report that indicated some of his former lieutenants — including longtime OC Josh McDaniels — are ready to rejoin him if he lands another NFL job. The Jaguars continue to come up for the free agent coach, with Jones adding Belichick’s smoothest path to having full control over a football operation again would stand to come with a Jacksonville franchise seemingly ready to reboot.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Belichick did not ask to run Atlanta’s football ops, and Jones reinforces the notion Belichick — who received steady criticism for his Patriots GM work late in that tenure — is not seeking full control. The Jags would offer Belichick a lower-profile media market and a roster that features an entrenched young quarterback, in 25-year-old Trevor Lawrence. A locked-in QB, albeit one that has been inconsistent, would seemingly appeal to a coach working on a shorter-term timetable due to his age. If Belichick does enter serious negotiations with the Jaguars, it is not expected he would work with GM Trent Baalke, who is on the hot seat.
Regardless of how the coaching landscape shakes out in the NFL early next year, Jones adds Belichick will not consider the Jets. The ex-Jets DC who famously resigned from his HC post in early 2000, leading to a contentious Jets-Patriots trade, is no fan of Woody Johnson and has taken shots at the organization — one responsible for launching the 2007 Spygate investigation.
Belichick-Jags connections have been coming up since September, and it appears this prospect remains on the radar. He has also been tied to the Giants and Cowboys, jobs that are also not yet available. As such, it still seems highly unlikely Belichick would punt on a path back to the NFL by taking a college job so early. Though, until the Tar Heels hire a coach, that avenue is still in play.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
