UNC and head coach Bill Belichick recently became the biggest talking point of NCAA Football again, after both the University and head coach shot down rumors suggesting they were looking into a possible exit strategy for the NFL legend.
Following the statement, NFL analyst Mike Florio appeared on the “Dan Patrick show.” During the interview, he shared his opinion on the endgame between the Tar Heels and the former New England Patriots head coach.
Is UNC Stuck in the Bill Belichick $50M Mess?
NFL Analyst Mike Florio recently appeared on the “Dan Patrick Show,” where he discussed the situation between the North Carolina Tar Heels and head coach Bill Belichick, after rumors surfaced during the week that the Tar Heels were looking to move in another direction.
“How much money changes hands, and in what direction will it go, when it finally ends. I feel like that’s where this is headed.” Florio revealed that before discussing the statements from Belichick and UNC that came out Wednesday night.
On Wednesday Night, the Tar Heels’ head coach and Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham released a joint statement stating that Belichick was fully committed to North Carolina and that the university fully supported the head coach.
These statements came after a report from Tarheel247 that suggested that UNC was looking into a possible exit strategy for the coach, and a report that the NFL analyst believed had some legitimacy.
“I’m fully committed to UNC Football and the program we’re building here.” -Bill Belichick pic.twitter.com/fNhar10S5n
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 9, 2025
“It’s like, why are we doing this? It just legitmises that there is this avalanche of reporting right now, that they’ve made no effort to push back against, of this dysfunction, and detiriaton, and flat out disintergation of the program.”
“And I feel like this is just the idea of, if I’m gonna go, then you’re going to pay me to go, and from the team’s perspective, if you’re going to go, we’re not going to pay you, and you’re going to pay part of your one million price tag to get out of here.”
After North Carolina gave Belichick a $50 million contract with guaranteed money for the first three years, the Panthers are currently 2-3, ranking at the bottom in nearly every national and conference statistical category.
Despite this, if UNC were to fire the former Patriots head coach before December 2027, the university would owe him upwards of $20 million for everything he was set to be paid up to then.
However, if Belichick chooses to resign, UNC would pay significantly less to get rid of the head coach, as he would be required to pay the University $1 million for liquidated damages, leading to this holdout situation.
This situation has led to significant backlash from fans of the Tar Heels, including Isaac Schade, host of the Locked on Tar Heels podcast, who revealed that he believes the situation would have been different if UNC had simply let Cunningham do his job.
UNC’s Bill Belichick mess could have been avoided if Bubba Cunningham had been allowed to do his job 🤷♂️#billbelichick #unc #collegefootball@LockedOnNetwork @isaacschade pic.twitter.com/B5HHb8zCN5
— Locked On Tar Heels (@LockedOnHeels) October 9, 2025
“Here’s the thing with all this Bill Belichick stuff: had the University of North Carolina simply let Bubba Cunningham do his job as Athletic Director back in December when he needed a new Football Coach, we wouldn’t be in this mess to start with.”
“And somebody like, I don’t know, Jon Sumarall, would be coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels right now, but you made your bed, and now you gotta lie in it.” The UNC podcaster suggested Tulane’s HC as a potential option.
Currently, UNC sits 2-3 during the year, while Tulane is 4-1 and 1-0 in the conference. The Tar Heels are looking to bounce back from their heavy loss to Clemson, travelling to the California Golden Bears, with Belichick still as their coach.