Bill Belichick departing New England was surprising, even if it felt inevitable. Bill Belichick not finding a head coaching job this offseason was straight up shocking. But it should be no surprise if the greatest coach of all time finds himself on another sideline next season.
Belichick’s not doing a retirement media tour this year. If a coach feels like he’s done for good, he does one pregame show and finds time for golf and fishing. Belichick has several television shows, is firing off Underdog commercials and leaving the sidelines of “Monday Night Football” to break down games in real time on the “ManningCast.”
He’s everywhere. We should appreciate it, too, because a Hall of Fame coach in his prime doing all the media that Belichick is doing probably won’t ever happen again. But it’s quite clear he’s coming back in 2025 if the right opportunity presents itself.
The early returns are offering some really interesting opportunities for the eight-time (including assistant gigs) Super Bowl winner. Let’s handicap where he could end up.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Sitting at 0-3 after a beatdown on Monday night in Buffalo, the Jaguars are back in crisis mode. Trevor Lawrence looks like a league-average quarterback, despite signing a massive deal this offseason. Doug Pederson’s postgame press conferences aren’t exactly inspiring. Trent Baalke — as my pal Pete Prisco pointed out this week — needs to have a microscope on his decision making. He notoriously managed to win a power play against Jim Harbaugh and sent the 49ers spiraling about a decade ago. Shad Khan should have a microscope on his general manager right now. Belichick would fit really well here in terms of what he’s looking for. The Jaguars results don’t match up with Khan’s ownership style. He delegates to football people and is patient. Belichick would have the personnel control he wants, a potential franchise quarterback with plenty of untapped potential and he would maximize the defensive talent. In a division that isn’t taking a leap the way we thought, this could work really well.
Dallas Cowboys
If you see any betting odds, the Cowboys will probably be the “favorite.” I can see it happening, mostly because Bill Parcells took the job back in 2003 and spent four years working with Jerry Jones, making the playoffs twice despite having Quincy Carter, Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe as his quarterbacks for three of four years (he should have started Tony Romo earlier!). I would expect his experience in Dallas to impact Belichick’s decision here, given two of Bill’s Super Bowls came as the defensive coordinator his mentor. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are locked into long-term deals and Micah Parsons will get paid at some point. The Cowboys were a very good defensive team with good defensive coaching and Belichick will bring that. Mike McCarthy is already sitting on a furnace. If he loses on Thursday night to Danny Dimes and the Giants he’s basically a human version of the “This Is Fine” meme.
New York Giants
Buzz was building before Week 3 about Brian Daboll having locker-room issues. Belichick’s coached in New York before. There isn’t a quarterback in place but if the Giants season submarines, they would have a good draft pick with a TBD QB class on deck. John Mara’s been extremely, um, active as an owner in recent years, which could potentially create an issue, but he also allowed Joe Schoen enough leeway to let Saquon Barkley walk into free agency and given Belichick’s history in New York, he’d probably cede control. That defensive line under Belichick would be a straight-up problem and the right offensive hire plus a quarterback plus Malik Nabers (a top-10 NFL wideout three games into his career) would be spicy.
Chicago Bears
Longer shot, but the start to 2024 isn’t doing the current regime any favors at all. Belichick spoke about this team on a ManningCast specifically too, pointing out the offensive line problems (and inferring the investments in wide receivers created the current problem). We don’t know how he feels about Caleb Williams, but the idea of a built-in talented defense with a No. 1 quarterback/potentially generational talent at quarterback has to be appealing. The Bears have a funky setup with ownership and the front office that might scare him off, but they might be willing to go full hands off for someone of Belichick’s stature. The NFC North is profiling as extremely difficult this year. If the Bears drastically underperform, it wouldn’t be that wild to consider someone with a history of winning big in cold weather for this gig.
Cincinnati Bengals
SUPER long shot primarily because the ownership group in Cincy is hesitant to move on from coaches. Zac Taylor was in college when his predecessor Marvin Lewis was hired in Cincy. They’ve had six coaches since 1984. That’s a weekend for David Tepper. But they’re 0-3 and have an elite, franchise quarterback. Things are going very poorly for this team. The defense hasn’t been the same over the last couple of years and doesn’t seem like it will turn the corner in 2024. I think Belichick might view this team more favorably than the general public from a historical perspective. Joe Burrow is a top-three quarterback when he’s “right” and that’s a rare positive to find with a possible landing spot. There’s a hefty investment in this team with Burrow and another disappointing season might elevate the pressure on Taylor, particularly if the offense flops after losing his offensive coordinator.
