Are the Dallas Cowboys and Bill Belichick a match made in heaven? While owner Jerry Jones didn’t fire incumbent Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy after Dallas’ embarrassing Wild Card round loss to the Green Bay Packers, McCarthy is likely facing a make-or-break campaign in 2025.
Meanwhile, Belichick appears set to take an involuntary sabbatical during the upcoming season. Thought to be the favorite for the Atlanta Falcons’ head coaching job, Belichick will be left on the outside looking in unless the Washington Commanders — the only NFL team still searching for a head coach — suddenly add him to their candidate pools.
But what about next year? Jones, never afraid to toss gasoline on a fire, suggested to Yahoo Sports this week that a future relationship between Belichick and the Cowboys could be on the table.
Will Jerry Jones Hire Bill Belichick as the Cowboys’ HC in 2025?
Speaking to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, Jones initially refused to speculate on Belichick’s future as an NFL head coach and denied that he’d spoken to Belichick or any other potential McCarthy replacement this offseason.
“I don’t want to get into, for reasons of talking about anybody that I may have talked to that’s been bantered around about coaching,” Jones told Yahoo on Tuesday. “But I didn’t talk to anybody. I haven’t talked to anybody that is a head coaching candidate other than my own.”
MORE: Cowboys, Eagles, Bills Could Consider Belichick in 2025
But asked what he respected about the former New England Patriots head coach, Jones lauded Belichick and left the door open for a theoretical future partnership.
“I know him personally, and I like him,” Jones said, per Epstein. “There’s no doubt in my mind we could work together. None. None.”
Jones continued to praise the 71-year-old Belichick, who interviewed with the Falcons twice but has not generated any known interest from other clubs.
“We all know that he’s certainly excellent, maybe at the top of his profession,” Jones said.
“To say that any one person automatically assures you a Super Bowl is ridiculous. That’s too high (of an) expectation for him. But is he maybe the greatest pro football coach of all time? Could very well be.
“He is a friend, and I like him, and I want to make real clear: I wouldn’t have any problem working with him.”
Why Belichick Could Make Sense in Dallas
If the Cowboys post another early playoff exit — or manage to miss the postseason altogether — in 2024, it won’t surprise anyone if Jones decides to give McCarthy his walking papers and explore other options.
Jones will be 82 years old heading into the 2025 campaign and might not be willing to take a chance on an unproven head coach. He’s previously said he’d “do anything known to man” to win another Super Bowl during his NFL career.
Who better to hire than Belichick, who already owns six Lombardis and is arguably the league’s greatest head coach?
Assuming Dak Prescott — a 2025 free agent — is still Dallas’ quarterback, Belichick could hire Josh McDaniels to run an offense centered around CeeDee Lamb, an elite offensive line, and Prescott’s pre- and post-snap recognition abilities. McDaniels has failed in two tries as an NFL head coach but remains an in-demand play-caller.
And who wouldn’t want to see Belichick work with the Cowboys’ defensive talent? Micah Parsons could be Belichick’s modern-day Lawrence Taylor, while CBs Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland could follow in a long line of productive Belichick-coached defensive backs.
So what’s stopping a Belichick-Cowboys marriage? If recent reports about why Belichick wasn’t offered the Falcons’ job are accurate, he may still want too much say in personnel.
MORE: How Jerry Jones Views the Cowboys’ ‘All-In’ 2024 Offseason
NFL teams might still be interested in hiring Belichick as a head coach. But no clubs seem willing to hire him as a general manager.
Will Belichick alter his demands now that he’s been left without a seat at the head coaching table? Before departing New England, Belichick suggested his willingness to cede some level of personnel control.
“Yeah, look, I’m for whatever, collectively, we decide as an organization is the best thing to help our football team,” Belichick said.
“And I have multiple roles in that, and I rely on a lot of people to help me in those responsibilities. If somebody’s got to have the final say, I have it, and I rely on a lot of other people to help. And, however that process is, I’m only part of it.”
The Cowboys already boast one of the NFL’s best front offices, allowing Belichick to focus on coaching were he hired. While Jones is the club’s general manager, vice president of player personnel Will McClay is the wizard behind Dallas’ string of player acquisition success.
McClay generates general manager interest around the NFL every offseason. The Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington Commanders wanted to interview him for their vacant GM roles during this year’s hiring cycle, but he again declined meetings in favor of remaining in Dallas.
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