Bill Belichick had a probability to gauge his market last 12 months and positively didn’t just like the result. Although he had believed he was a real contender for the Falcons job hours before the team’s Raheem Morris hire, a number of the animosity he created while in Recent England may have shown up throughout the 2024 coaching carousel’s spin.
Several of the teams who held a training emptiness “quickly” dismissed the notion of interviewing Belichick, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reports (subscription required). While the Falcons interviewed Belichick twice — with loads of fallout coming from that saga — the Chargers, Commanders, Raiders, Panthers, Seahawks and Titans also needed a coach. None interviewed Belichick, leading him to what amounted to a months-long media tour. That’s now complete, as Belichick accepted North Carolina’s offer to steer its program.
This obviously proved shocking, within the grand scheme, as it is going to all but definitely end Belichick’s run as an NFL head coach and keep him 14 wins wanting Don Shula‘s all-time record. Nevertheless, the NFL’s second-winningest coach is now believed to be “disgusted” by what the league has turn out to be, based on ESPN.com’s Seth Wickersham, who adds Belichick and his confidants — Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia and ex-Patriots staffer and Browns GM Michael Lombardi amongst them — began to look to the faculty level as a possible destination months ago.
Set to show 73 in April, Belichick didn’t exactly have the luxurious of waiting one other 12 months and hoping for more attractive jobs to open up come 2026. And one team with a emptiness already ruled out Belichick, per Howe. This could seemingly mean along with the Jets, with that fit — because of mutual feelings — never pointing toward a pursuit. The Bears and Saints need a coach. Belichick and his confidants had viewed the Bears as probably the most attractive opening up to now, but Wickersham adds Chicago was unlikely to contemplate the eight-time Super Bowl winner. Belichick’s circle of trust expects the Bears to focus on an offensive coach, a route that has turn out to be quite popular over the past several years.
Indeed, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz adds Belichick believed he would have many options to educate again within the NFL. Teams, nevertheless, weren’t desirous to allow him to usher in his various preferred staffers. The Patriots’ post-Tom Brady decline played a major role in teams’ view of Belichick and willingness to make use of what’s being viewed as an old-school model, and even the interest of getting him only operate as a coach — versus a coach/de facto GM — was weak enough that this faculty jump took place. Belichick NFL interest existed, per Schultz, however it fell wanting assuring him a job would await.
The topic of personnel power got here up often this 12 months regarding Belichick. Although Arthur Blank said Belichick didn’t ask for full personnel control during his interviews last 12 months, the problem helped impede him. As Belichick undoubtedly would have threatened the ability Falcons president Wealthy McKay and GM Terry Fontenot have, it’s believed Blank was steered away from his initial goal of hiring the 24-year Patriots HC. Other owners were also skeptical, per Wickersham, of Belichick not throwing his weight around. Moreover, Wickersham indicates Fontenot discussing the Falcons’ draft strategies, from a position of data, annoyed Belichick.
The Patriots had attempted to curb a few of Belichick’s power across the 2021 draft, Howe adds, but that effort effectively fell apart in 2022. Belichick had lieutenants like Scott Pioli and Nick Caserio during his historically successful Recent England run, but each had left — Pioli in 2009, resulting in more Belichick power, and Caserio in 2021. The latter left in 2021, coinciding with the above-referenced Patriots effort to work more collaboratively. Robert Kraft is believed to have played a lead role in Belichick’s market cooling this offseason, and the owner later admitted he fired his longtime coach — relatively than the party line of a mutual parting being reality.
At North Carolina, Belichick may have the sort of control he held in Recent England. While some big coaching names on the football and basketball sides have left their respective sports because of the chaos the transfer portal and NIL landscape have caused, Wickersham adds Belichick views the present college setup as “more transactional and fewer relational,” pointing to a coach carrying many years of experience in the professionals being well equipped to step down and navigate the destabilized college level. Belichick said Thursday (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo) coaches have reached out to him about NFL-inspired rule changes.
Belichick said he had all the time hoped to educate in college. This can still be one in every of the more interesting transitions in coaching history, as he had coached within the NFL only and had done so for 49 consecutive seasons. Belichick’s father, Steve, coached at Navy for greater than 30 years and was a North Carolina assistant within the mid-Fifties. Signing a five-year contract, Bill Belichick said isn’t planning to make use of the Tar Heels as a springboard back to the NFL. That will be more prone to happen with a younger coach, but with Bruce Arians (at 66) being the oldest NFL HC ever hired, Belichick had seen his probabilities dwindle at the game’s top level.
Lombardi, who worked with Belichick in Cleveland and Recent England, is joining his longtime colleague as North Carolina’s GM. Schools are adding these positions with more frequency as the game’s compensation model has radically modified. (Andrew Luck is now Stanford’s GM.) Lombardi spent a 12 months as Browns GM, working alongside Joe Banner back with the Browns in 2013, and joined the Patriots in 2014. He has not held a position since, becoming an everyday media presence.
Freddie Kitchens, who’s most famous for his Browns one-and-done as head coach in 2019, had served as North Carolina’s interim coach post-Mack Brown. Belichick announced he’s retaining the previous NFL staffer. It could not surprise to see McDaniels, Patricia and Joe Judge join their former boss as well, though it isn’t known which former Patriots staffers are coming. Steve and Brian Belichick also will undoubtedly be in play to rejoin their father; Steve is the Washington Huskies’ DC, while Brian stayed on under Jerod Mayo with the Pats.
Belichick can be celebrated as one in every of the best coaches in NFL history. His late Recent England decline notwithstanding, his six Super Bowl wins as a head coach lead the sphere by two. Within the salary cap era, Belichick’s six titles are three greater than anyone else. He can be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2026, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. That may lead to another decorated coaches who’ve been waiting to be pushed down the list.
