A month after taking the job, Bill Belichick has yet to sign his North Carolina contract

On By Littum

Bill Belichick is operating without a signed contract in North Carolina.

According to CBS SportsBelichick has not officially signed his deal with the school. UNC introduced him as its next coach in December, and the six-time Super Bowl winner has assembled a staff and hit the road recruiting.

But sources tell CBS Sports — and UNC confirmed this week — that there is no fully executed and signed contract between Belichick and UNC. And industry sources say that could lead to a legal gray area about how much, if any, of a buyout there would be if Belichick went to the pros.

belichick, who have signed an offer sheet with the school, wouldn’t be the first power conference coach to operate without a signed contract in recent months. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore did not immediately sign his agreement to succeed Jim Harbaugh as the Wolverines’ head coach and even coached the first two games of the season before signing his contract.

Belichick has a $10 million buyout in North Carolina, and that number drops to $1 million this summer. As the report notes, the lack of a signed deal could lead an NFL team to believe that Belichick would have little to no buyout in North Carolina at the moment if the deal isn’t signed.

But there is no indication that Belichick is interested in the NFL at this time. He hasn’t been officially interviewed by anyone this recruiting cycle, and the longer he goes without an interview, the less and less likely it becomes that he’ll be approached by an NFL team. Plus, look at this tweet from newly hired UNC general manager Mike Lombardi.

In his introductory press conference, Belichick said he didn’t come to North Carolina to leave. And as he continues to build his staff, it’s pretty clear the coach is sticking by those words for now.

North Carolina reportedly added longtime NFL special teams coach Mike Priefer and Western Kentucky offensive coordinator Will Friend to the staff this week. UNC also reportedly added Washington’s Armond Hawkins as its defensive backs coach. Hawkins worked with Belichick’s son Steve at UW a season ago, and Steve Belichick will be UNC’s defensive coordinator.