Legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion, is making waves after interviewing for the head coaching position at the University of North Carolina following Mack Brown’s dismissal.
Needless to say, many in the football world were quite shocked when they first heard that Belichick was interested in the Tar Heels job.
According to Pro Football Talk, Belichick’s willingness to head to the college ranks could be due to the fact that NFL teams have not shown much interest in him (as of yet).
“Belichick is (I’m told) ‘very surprised’ that he has yet to hear from NFL teams about coaching in 2025,” PFT wrote. “Currently, three jobs are vacant – the Jets, Saints, and Bears. None, we’re told, have reached out to Belichick.
“Other teams that might be thinking about, or planning to, make a change after the season (or sooner) could also talk to Belichick, since he’s currently not employed by any team.
“It’s not known with certainty that there has been no contact from teams that have yet to fire their coaches. Regardless, there’s no clear connection between Belichick and a potential vacancy, for now.”
Despite speculation, Florio noted it remains unclear if teams considering coaching changes have contacted Belichick.
This isn’t the first time Belichick has faced a cold reception in the NFL coaching market. Last year, the former Patriots head coach only received one interview – with the Atlanta Falcons. Ultimately, the Falcons opted to hire Raheem Morris instead.
Adding intrigue to the situation is the suggestion that Belichick may have a broader strategy in mind.
At 72 years old, Belichick has never coached at the college level, having launched his career in 1975 as a special assistant with the Baltimore Colts.
However, with NFL teams remaining silent and Belichick’s apparent willingness to consider collegiate opportunities, a move to college football might become a reality if he wishes to stay on the sidelines in 2025.
Interestingly, Belichick was more open than expected during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show today.
We all knew he wouldn’t go into specifics. However, if you read between the lines, he made it clear that his interest in coaching at the college level is genuine.
Some have speculated that there could be a bigger plan at play in the whole Belichick-UNC situation.
There could potentially be an understanding/agreement that Belichick will coach for however long he wants to, and then hand the program off to his son, Steve.
Every single move with Belichick is calculated. There’s a reason behind everything he does.
So, perhaps him meeting with North Carolina officials for over five hours is a leverage play (in his mind) to try and get NFL teams to finally pick up the phone and call him.
Or perhaps he’s actually eager to take over a college program…
While the NFL all-time wins record was thought to be ultra-important to him, some reports indicate that it will not be a deciding factor for Belichick.
In other words, the chances of the Belichick train heading to ACC Country are much higher than originally thought.
What are your thoughts on the whole situation? … When it’s all said and done, where will Belichick be coaching in 2025???
