JANUARY 23: Talk of a Belichick backtrack to the NFL has cooled over the past several days, and Jones reports the new North Carolina HC has signed his contract. The deal points reported last month — a $10MM buyout before June 1, along with a $1MM fee after that date — are included in the official pact. While Belichick-NFL rumors may not be over for good, it appears the eight-time Super Bowl winner is committed to the college gig he landed — at least for the 2025 season.
JANUARY 16: Opting out of a second ride on the NFL HC carousel, Bill Belichick made a preemptive strike by accepting an offer to coach at North Carolina in December. Despite connections to the Raiders and then Cowboys, Belichick is on the recruiting trail at the ACC school.
If an NFL team were to poach Belichick after he committed to the Tar Heels, a $10MM buyout would need to be paid to the university. Though, a gray area now exists with regards to the buyout. Belichick has not signed an official contract with the school, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports. Instead, he is working in Chapel Hill after agreeing to a term sheet December 11. The school confirmed this, via Jones.
That term sheet outlines Belichick’s $10MM-per-year salary and would be set to precede a signed contract at some point. It is not too uncommon at the college level for coaches to begin working without a fully signed deal, but Jones adds a notable wrinkle here by indicating the term sheet Belichick inked is not binding. This could introduce a potential complication if the buyout — $10MM before June 1, $1MM after that date — comes into play.
Earlier this week, a report surfaced indicating the North Carolina athletic director and the ACC commissioner were uneasy about Belichick’s status. Jones has also previously reported NFL teams have not been intimidated by the $10MM buyout number, and the reporter adds some within the UNC community are a bit nervous related to this component of Belichick’s agreement.
Working without a contract is not done in the NFL, where Belichick had only coached from 1975-2023. The league’s second-winningest coach trying his hand at the college game — at a time in which the transfer portal and NIL landscape have radically reshaped the sport — now remains a curious move, especially when four more coaching jobs opened up after Belichick and his lieutenants surveyed the NFL market during the season. The Cowboys, Jaguars and Raiders jobs have since opened, and Dallas connections persist.
Former Browns GM Michael Lombardi, who worked with Belichick in New England, is now the North Carolina football program’s GM. Lombardi denied any NFL interest exists, refuting the above-referenced report about Belichick’s thin staff creating some unease, and he responded to Jones’ report by indicating (via X) “the NFL isn’t an option” for the legendary HC. A report shortly after Belichick took the college job pegged him as being “disgusted” with a league that has been unwilling to grant him a third head coaching opportunity given the success he had in New England.
That said, Jonathan Jones notes that Belichick and Jerry Jones maintain a good relationship. Belichick was connected to monitoring the Cowboys job in 2024, and the Cowboys did backchannel work on him before deciding to retain Mike McCarthy last year. A report in the wake of McCarthy’s dismissal this week classified a Belichick-Cowboys partnership as one both sides would have been open to had the coach not jumped to the college ranks. Though, as we have mentioned many times, Belichick’s age (73 in April) poses a problem for him — as no HC older than 66 has ever been hired by an NFL team — and he ultimately opted to punt on a second carousel ride.
Bill Belichick also brought son Steve over from Washington to be his DC, a development that would further entrench the former in Chapel Hill, and ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel adds the Tar Heels have hired veteran NFL assistant Mike Priefer to be their special teams coordinator. Priefer had served as ST coordinator for the Chiefs, Broncos, Vikings and Browns from 2006-22. He last coached in college in 2001.
A guy known for integrity and character.
And you know this because you watch ESPN and read a couple of boards?
Armchair GMS are like Armchair fire experts, they know nothing…
My man…
Are you aware of the cheating scandals?
I mean…what an ignorant comment.
Im also like armchair!?
Whatever that means.
And are armchair fire experts certified? Do they go any sort of training? Do they start fires or put them out?
Ive never heard if this label.
Or perhaps they are experts in a narrow subset of fires – fires that only happen on armchairs?
Boston fans are literal cult members.
Boston is a cult as a whole
He’s done before to the Jets
Lord Loophole strikes again.
Bellichick is such a tool. NC better off if this loser goes to NFL to fail again
Common Dallas
Prime time in Vegas
Bellichek in Dallas
Be a constant source of news rumors speculations
Then get ready to have America’s Team guaranteed as losers.
Would be so easy to recruit against him and UNC. There’s no way he ever coaches a game. This was all a ploy to get his son a HC job. So pathetic and embarrassing.
The NFL won’t give him a third chance because he wouldn’t be bringing a younger Tom Brady with him to play quarterback. Maybe teams have finally figured out what I’ve been saying for years. Without Brady, he is a great DC, but awful head coach.
well, he did take Benie Kosar and the Browns to the playoffs.
Went 11-5 with Cassel, missed the playoffs because of a tiebreaker.
Took a rookie QB (who everyone says is horrible) to the playoffs.
These are facts and BB haters are like MAGA, they dont use facts.
Ignore the haters, they just wish BB got their team 6 rings…
Bringing politics into a sports site is just dumb. Kinda like dems…
Nothing worse than a Democrat tbh. Consistently thinking they’re the high and mighty when it’s usually the opposite.
Ummm. Bernie Kosar was a number one overall draft pick and they went to the playoffs once and lost in the first round. He also had Testaverde, another number one overall pick and didn’t do crap. He also had Bledsoe, a number one pick who had been to a Super Bowl and went 5-13 before he got hurt. He had a lucky year with Cassel and Mac Jones was a good first round QB until Belichick ruined him by giving him defensive coaches to teach him how to play QB.
you said he was an awful head coach without Brady, I just gave you 3 successful seasons he has had without Brady, nothing more, nothing less.
I guess, if you consider missing the playoffs or losing in the first round successful. Andy Reid was successful with Donovan McNabb, Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes. Joe Gibbs was successful with multiple quarterbacks, Don Shula was successful with multiple quarterbacks. Tom Landry was successful with multiple quarterbacks. Paul Brown was successful with multiple quarterbacks. Belichick was successful with one.
You sound like the same guy who when Brady was playing said “he is a bum, he’s just a system QB, its all Bill’s coaching and game planning”. then Brady leaves and its all ” BB is a bum, he cant coach, it was all Brady”. Just admit you are a Patriots/BB hater and will always be, no matter what, you are biased.
No, I never once said that. I have always given Brady the credit and I’m a Buckeyes fan, so I don’t really like him personally, but I call it like I see it. If Mo Lewis hadn’t taken out Bledsoe, they wouldn’t have made the playoffs and Belichick would have been fired in a year or two and went back to being a DC. Brady saved his career. It was proven when Brady went to Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl.
Even worse GM than HC.
lol
If he backs out of NC, his legacy will be further tarnished (more so than staying with the Pats long after his sell-by date).
So his legacy was tarnished because he stayed with the Pats on down years, BUT you say it will be tarnished again bc he leaves early?
Logic? Your point is really confusing.
Yeah i feel like letting young men down is far worse than any of his previous incidents.
I’m not taking a side in the legacy debate here, but let’s stop referring to college players as “young men” or “kids” instead of what they are now-employees. They lost that righteous, wide-eyed considerations when some started taking pay cuts to become “professional” rookies.
I suppose that’s my biggest peeve when I hear Deion Sanders speak about “these kids” that he coaches, as if they’re innocent amateurs struggling to play a game, instead of recruited and represented adults who market themselves as de facto free agents. I admit, a lot of that is own annoyance, but it feels pretty hypocritical hypocritical to me to try to beg peoples’ sympathies when these players are now being paid and have agents and marketing like “professional” athletes. Can’t have it both ways.
Jerry Jones on line 1, John Mara on line 2
Bernie Kosar was picked in the supplemental draft. He took the Browns to 3 AFC Championships before getting dumped by Belichick in 1993. He helped the Cowboys that year when they repeated. With Belichick, Testeverde took the Browns to the playoffs in 1994. Bledsoe came in for Brady and beat the Steelers in the 2001 AFC Championship game.
What’s funny is people were just as annoyed when they figured he HAD signed. HE’S GONNA BACK OUT AND BETRAY THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE HIM AN OUT IN HIS CONTRACT! Sheesh.
Unless Brady goes there to play qb they’ll suck.
Belichick is a pedo. Plain and simple
You’re not very smart,plain and simple
I’m 110% the smartest person on the internet as a whole. IQ is off the charts.
Obsession is thy name concerning Bill Belichick…all I can say is….Bill would be a real mutt if he winds up in the Pros again…he made a commitment…he should keep it
Besides I would love to see what he can do in the College Ranks
Bill to the Cowboys as HC
K Moore as OC
Salah as DC
Dream Team In Big D!!!!!
Bill Belichick Signs North Carolina Contract
Ya!!! Baby!!!!!
Never a doubt!
The sportsbooks have calculated that BB will own the record for most college football wins by 2077 🙂