For Someone who’s “out of football,” Bill Belichick has been in the news quite often this offseason.
The only thing more surprising than the New England Patriots’ decision to fire the legendary coach was the fact that he ended up making it through the entire cycle without a job.
For now, we’ll have to get our Belichick fix through his spots with Pat McAfee and the Manning brothers … Oh, and the frequent tidbits that come from his brand-new relationship with a former cheerleader who is 48-years younger than him.
Widely-regarded as the greatest coach in NFL history, you would figure that it’s only a matter of time before a team hires Belichick.
At 72-years-old, he’s no spring chicken, but he reportedly wants to keep coaching and breaking the all-time wins record means a great deal to him.
In other words, it would be shocking if he’s not in charge of an NFL team at this time next year.
But who could that team be???
Well, according to one of Belichick’s former players – Chris Long – that team could very well be the Dallas Cowboys.
Speaking on his “Green Light” podcast, Long revealed that current head coach Mike McCarthy could be a dead man walking in Dallas.
āIf CeeDee Lambās not practicing, if CeeDee Lambās not playing, theyāre walking Dak into a shredder. It might be a lame duck year for him. It might be a lame duck year for Mike McCarthy,ā Long said.
āThey might be talking about trading Micah Parsons, although I wouldnāt, but thereās a lot of stuff that could be on the table with Dallas that we just donāt know about.ā
It’s no secret that McCarthy is on shaky ground in Big D.
The interesting thing is owner Jerry Jones had a golden opportunity to fire McCarthy and hire Belichick earlier this offseason, but chose not to.
Now, there are reports that McCarthy isn’t all too thrilled with the direction the Cowboys seem to be headed in.
In other words, the relationship between McCarthy and Jones seems far from stable – on both sides.
āI look at Jerry Jones and I wonder if heās like, āHey, weāre going to hit the reset button for real this time, as crazy as it might sound,āā Long continued.
“Because I would pay CeeDee, but maybe theyāre like, āWeāll go grab some picks for this guy and start the clock on a new regime. Have Dak play out this lame duck season and go forward, and next year hire Bill Belichick.ā
“Jerry Jones has been quoted as saying, āI know him personally and I like him, thereās no doubt in my mind we could work together, none.ā
“And you know when Jerry puts the ānoneā at the end of that he means heās thinking about it in my opinion.
“Wouldnāt it be interesting if all the tea leaves Iām reading point to Dallas hitting a reset button, which would be just insane.ā
Of course, speculation of Belichick-to-Dallas is certainly nothing new.
There have been plenty of rumors connecting Belichick not just to the Cowboys, but to the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles as well.
The Eagles love Nick Sirianni and he did lead them to the Super Bowl. But the fact of the matter is he took a major step back last season and 2024 could prove to be a make-it-or-break-it year for him.
Perhaps the more interesting (and likely) destination is the Giants.
It’s no secret that Belichick has always referred to coaching Big Blue as his dream job.
Current head coach Brian Daboll is in a similar situation as Sirianni. While he hasn’t guided the Giants to a Super Bowl, he did start his tenure out with a splash before taking a step back last year.
If Daboll and the Giants don’t make significant progress this season, owner John Mara could be eager to replace him with Belichick.
What are your thoughts on Long’s comments?
Do you think Jones regrets not making the McCarthy/Belichick swap earlier this offseason?
Which NFC East team do you view as the most likely to hire Belichick: Dallas, New York or Philadelphia?
When it’s all said and done, where will Belichick be coaching at this time next year???