Bill Belichick, University of North Carolina discusses head coaching vacancy

Belichick has been busy on the media circuit this season on various platforms, providing rare access to one of the game’s biggest minds. But that career change has never felt permanent since he and the New England Patriots mutually parted ways following the conclusion of the 2023 season, ending a brilliant run that included six Super Bowl titles for the franchise.

Many have speculated that Belichick wanted an NFL coaching job, which has been all he has known since the turn of the millennium. He interviewed twice for the Falcons’ job opening last cycle.

Three head coaches have already been fired this season – the New York Jets’ Robert Saleh, the New Orleans Saints’ Dennis Allen and the Chicago Bears’ Matt Eberflus. Belichick could be a contender with any of those teams, though the Jets feel like a long shot given his past public comments about the franchise and that he was previously their head coach and never coached a game before retiring.

Other jobs across the league could also open up. It would be hard to match the credentials and credibility Belichick offers, even with some complicating factors in hiring him — namely, age and organizational power.

If Belichick has surveyed the NFL landscape — he’s always one step ahead, after all — and determined he might not be a good fit in the league this offseason, why not consider college football? It would be as big a story as Deion Sanders taking to Colorado last year.

Maybe Belichick still has a few old tricks up his sleeve. His offseason promises to be a fascinating story to follow.