It is no surprise that Bill Belichick wants to return to the sideline in 2025. But it’s which field the longtime NFL coach is eyeing that’s now making waves.
The 72-year-old confirmed on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday that he has had conversations with UNC chancellor Lee Roberts about filling the football program’s head-coaching vacancy, confirming the previous report by The Athletic. While wrapping up his interview with McAfee, Belichick made his unprompted pitch to be hired at the college level after nearly 30 years in the pros.
“Let me put this in capital letters: If, I-F, I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL. It would be a professional program, training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques that would transfer to the NFL,” Belichick said. “It would be an NFL program at a college level and an education that would get the players ready for their career after football, whether that was the end of their college career or at the end of their pro career.
“But it would be geared toward developing the player, time management, discipline, structure and all that, that would be life skills, regardless of whether they’re in the NFL or in somewhere in the business. I feel very confident that I have the contacts in the National Football League to pave the way for those players that would have the ability to have the opportunity to compete in the National Football League.”
“IF I was in a College program it would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL..
It would be a professional program at the College level..
I don’t have any doubt that the players would be ready for the NFL” ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/JyMDtzs2yR
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 9, 2024
The thought of running a college program similar to that of an NFL team has gained traction as colleges look to recruit players both out of high school and in the transfer portal, similar to how the NFL dips into the draft and free agency to build its roster. Stanford most recently hired Andrew Luck in an expanded general manager position to oversee every aspect of that program, both on and off the field. It’s unique, as the entire Cardinal staff will report to Luck, as opposed to the head coach, which is the industry norm.
Belichick, however, would likely look to retain the final say in team signings and roster management after having the same power as both head coach and GM of the New England Patriots.
“It would be an NFL program, but not at the NFL level,” Belichick said.
Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl winner, said he became further intrigued with college football this year while spending considerable time inside a major program. He worked with coach Jedd Fisch at Washington, where his 37-year-old son Steve Belichick, a former Patriots assistant coach, is also the defensive coordinator.
Last spring, when his son was installing the new defense, Belichick spent extended time with the staff for the seven days he visited.
“He is fully invested in our program,” Fisch told The Athletic in July. “When we were at Arizona, I would get emails or calls from Bill and he would give me things that he saw in our film. He watched our film every week. He would give me a whole rundown of certain things to look at and think about, which was just incredible. Now he has a little more investment, got grandkids here, too, which is more of an advantage. It’s not just his own son. Everyone likes grandkids better.”
The Patriots and Belichick parted ways in January after 24 seasons. Belichick failed to secure another NFL coaching gig after interviewing with the Atlanta Falcons last offseason, but could be up for another pro job during this year’s coaching cycle.
Another reason Belichick may want to return to the NFL is that he is only 14 wins away from matching Don Shula’s coaching record of 347 career NFL victories. He has 333 total wins to date.
North Carolina fired Brown, 73, days before the final game of the regular season, which concluded with a loss to North Carolina State to drop the Tar Heels to 6-6.
What to make of Belichick’s comments
Belichick’s appearance on the show felt like a 10-minute pitch to those at North Carolina still on the fence about whether or not to hire the 72-year-old. It always seemed strange that this NFL lifer would pick this point, so late in his career (and so close to the all-time NFL wins record), to pivot to college football, but Belichick made a compelling case when he said, “It would be an NFL program at a college level.”
Whether that’s realistic can be debated in the days to come as UNC mulls its decision. But there’s no longer any debate about whether Belichick is actually interested in this job. He made it pretty clear that he’s done lots of homework about what it would take to be a college football coach in today’s age.
The interview also brought to mind something else: Belichick didn’t think he’d have to take a year off coaching when he split with the Patriots. But then the Atlanta Falcons were the only NFL team who expressed interest in hiring him, and they chose not to. Now Belichick has made clear his interest in another job. What if UNC also goes in a different direction? It would surely be weird if Belichick went from feeling like a shoo-in for an NFL job last year to suddenly going 0-for-2 in the only two to consider him before the NFL’s 2025 coaching cycle ramps up. — Chad Graff, Patriots beat writer
Required reading
(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
