Bill Belichick surprised the football world when he chose to take a college head coaching job at the University of North Carolina over a possible return to the NFL. He is just 14 wins away from breaking Don Shula’s record to become the all-time winningest coach in NFL history. However, that is a record that reportedly is not “essential” for Belichick to achieve.
Things move fast once the NFL regular season ends and head-coaching jobs start opening up. Now, less than one month on the job of his first collegiate head-coaching gig, there are NFL teams reaching out to gauge Belichick’s interest in a return.
One of those teams features his former star quarterback Tom Brady, as he is becoming more involved in the future of the Las Vegas Raiders as a minority owner.
Tom Brady, Bill Belichick Back Together?
The Raiders let go of Antonio Pierce on Monday, and that is a team that would love to make a big splash. For Las Vegas to reach out to Belichick makes a lot of sense with the connection as Brady’s coach, where the duo won six Super Bowls together with the New England Patriots.
Raiders limited owner Tom Brady is expected to be part of a collaborative committee to interview head coaching candidates and support team owner Mark Davis, per league sources. pic.twitter.com/0xyl0kAYv3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 7, 2025
According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, “multiple teams” have already reached to Belichick. That includes Brady himself having conversations with his former coach about potentially taking over the Raiders job.
Sources also told Pelissero that “Brady believes the situation in Las Vegas requires a coach of Belichick’s expertise and stature to establish a sustainable winning program.”
The Raiders have a lot to work on if they want to improve on its 4-13 record from 2024. They are in need of a new quarterback, and Belichick can be that guy as he helped mold Brady into a superstar.
The offense has been a real concern over the past few years with this Las Vegas team.
According to Pro Football Network’s Offense+ — a metric created by PFN that combines statistics such as yards per play, points per drive, turnover percentage, success rate against the run and pass, third-down conversion rate, and more — the Raiders’ offense has been declining for three consecutive years:
- 2022 Ranking: 14th
- 2023 Ranking: 21st
- 2024 Ranking: 29th
The report from NFL Network did not cite the other teams that have reached out to Belichick. Current teams with a head-coach opening are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, New England Patriots, and the New Orleans Saints.
Can Belichick Get Out of His Contract?
CBS Sports NFL analyst J.J. Watt joined “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss coaching openings and suggests that Belichick’s construct was structured in a particular way to make it manageable to make a return to an NFL sideline.
“The Belichick one is fascinating because you don’t build your contract like that if you don’t want to at least keep that door open for a reason,” Watt said. “Otherwise, why would you have such a little buyout.”
"The Belichick situation is fascinating because of the way his contract with UNC is built..
The logistics of that if it were to happen is something to think about" ~ @JJWatt #PMSLive https://t.co/oTDlzlHaXs pic.twitter.com/rAAPFEZsIL
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 8, 2025
Belichick’s contract with North Carolina is a five-year deal worth $50 million.
His buyout is $10 million if he leaves before June 1, 2025, but that number sinks to $1 million after that date.
It would cost him eight figures to get back to the NFL for the 2025 season, but Belichick can likely handle that buyout as he has earned over $200 million in career earnings as an NFL coach.
During his introductory news conference with North Carolina, Belichick did say that he “didn’t come here to leave.”
Time will tell how serious he was about that statement and if he will stick to being the head coach in college or return to the NFL.