Bill Belichick, the legendary NFL coach who parted ways with the New England Patriots in January after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl victories, has had discussions with the University of North Carolina about its coaching job, three people with knowledge of the deliberations confirmed.
It’s unclear how serious the interest between Belichick, who has been out of coaching and working in broadcasting this season, and North Carolina is. Some Belichick associates remain convinced that he is intent upon returning to an NFL sideline next season.
North Carolina is seeking a successor to Mack Brown after firing him last week. According to one of the people familiar with the discussions, Belichick is among several candidates who have spoken to school officials in informal conversations conducted virtually. The school’s search has not yet progressed to formal interviews, according to that person.
Two other people confirmed Belichick’s talks with the school but expressed skepticism that the discussions will lead to him accepting the Tar Heels job, given their belief that Belichick hopes to coach in the NFL in 2025.
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Belichick will turn 73 in April. He interviewed twice with the Atlanta Falcons last offseason after parting with the Patriots and spoke with the Washington Commanders. But the Falcons hired Raheem Morris. The Commanders hired Dan Quinn. And Belichick, perhaps the greatest coach in league history, was shut out in the NFL hiring cycle.
He could be in greater demand this offseason. Three NFL teams have already fired their coaches: the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. Several other coaches, including the Dallas Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Doug Pederson, have been under intense scrutiny while their teams have struggled. McCarthy’s contract expires after the season, although the Cowboys have won two straight games and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he is not ruling out the possibility of retaining McCarthy.
New York Giants co-owner John Mara has said that he intends to be more patient and does not plan to fire Coach Brian Daboll or General Manager Joe Schoen either during the season or after it. But the Giants’ ongoing issues have led to speculation that a change still could be made. Belichick probably would be a strong candidate for the Jaguars, Cowboys and Giants if they have head coaching vacancies, and he also could be considered by the Bears.
Belichick has 333 coaching victories in the NFL, counting the postseason, putting him 14 shy of Don Shula’s career record of 347. His 302 regular season wins put him 26 behind Shula’s 328. If he takes a college coaching job, Belichick probably will be passing up the opportunity to catch Shula.
The Patriots went 4-13 in 2023 in Belichick’s final season. They went 29-38 and made the playoffs only once in Belichick’s last four seasons after quarterback Tom Brady left the team via free agency following the 2019 season.
Belichick has never coached at the college level. His father, Steve, was a longtime assistant coach at Navy.
The Tar Heels went 6-6 this season. Their interim coach is Freddie Kitchens, the former coach of the Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the former coach of the Falcons, is a North Carolina alum and also has been linked to the job. Smith has said that the school contacted him in what he termed a preliminary call, adding that the job is not his focus and he’s happy in Pittsburgh.
North Carolina went 44-33 under Brown since 2019.
It’s unclear how serious the interest between Belichick, who has been out of coaching and working in broadcasting this season, and North Carolina is. Some Belichick associates remain convinced that he is intent upon returning to an NFL sideline next season.
North Carolina is seeking a successor to Mack Brown after firing him last week. According to one of the people familiar with the discussions, Belichick is among several candidates who have spoken to school officials in informal conversations conducted virtually. The school’s search has not yet progressed to formal interviews, according to that person.
Two other people confirmed Belichick’s talks with the school but expressed skepticism that the discussions will lead to him accepting the Tar Heels job, given their belief that Belichick hopes to coach in the NFL in 2025.
Skip to end of carousel
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Follow SportsBelichick will turn 73 in April. He interviewed twice with the Atlanta Falcons last offseason after parting with the Patriots and spoke with the Washington Commanders. But the Falcons hired Raheem Morris. The Commanders hired Dan Quinn. And Belichick, perhaps the greatest coach in league history, was shut out in the NFL hiring cycle.
He could be in greater demand this offseason. Three NFL teams have already fired their coaches: the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. Several other coaches, including the Dallas Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Doug Pederson, have been under intense scrutiny while their teams have struggled. McCarthy’s contract expires after the season, although the Cowboys have won two straight games and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he is not ruling out the possibility of retaining McCarthy.
New York Giants co-owner John Mara has said that he intends to be more patient and does not plan to fire Coach Brian Daboll or General Manager Joe Schoen either during the season or after it. But the Giants’ ongoing issues have led to speculation that a change still could be made. Belichick probably would be a strong candidate for the Jaguars, Cowboys and Giants if they have head coaching vacancies, and he also could be considered by the Bears.
Belichick has 333 coaching victories in the NFL, counting the postseason, putting him 14 shy of Don Shula’s career record of 347. His 302 regular season wins put him 26 behind Shula’s 328. If he takes a college coaching job, Belichick probably will be passing up the opportunity to catch Shula.
The Patriots went 4-13 in 2023 in Belichick’s final season. They went 29-38 and made the playoffs only once in Belichick’s last four seasons after quarterback Tom Brady left the team via free agency following the 2019 season.
Belichick has never coached at the college level. His father, Steve, was a longtime assistant coach at Navy.
The Tar Heels went 6-6 this season. Their interim coach is Freddie Kitchens, the former coach of the Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the former coach of the Falcons, is a North Carolina alum and also has been linked to the job. Smith has said that the school contacted him in what he termed a preliminary call, adding that the job is not his focus and he’s happy in Pittsburgh.
North Carolina went 44-33 under Brown since 2019.
