Head coach Bill Belichick signed a contract with the North Carolina Tar Heels on Jan. 22 after more than a month of verbal agreement between both parties. Now that it’s official, Belichick is getting started on his college career, alongside his right-hand man Michael Lombardi, the head coach’s former assistant with the New England Patriots, as the school’s general manager.
Bill Belichick’s GM Mike Lombardi on Recruits and Money
On the Jan. 23 edition of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Lombardi sat down with the host and discussed various things, including the speculation that has been going around that North Carolina has offered an unnamed top transfer quarterback recruit $8 million.
To this, Lombardi laughed it off with a joke and confirmed that it wasn’t true.
Explaining why it’s important to have a sense of balance between earning and responsibility among players, the GM said:
“I think, for me, we’re gonna stick with the ‘Patriot Mantra.’ We’re gonna have a good team where everybody’s going to be valued, and I think more than anything, I think you guys know this, the locker room has to feel a sense of contentment based on what you have earned.
“So if you bring a player in who’s not really playing for your team and pay him more than some of the guys that have based on just on hypothetical, you run into a little bit of a problem, so this thing goes both ways, you’re going to negotiate contracts both ways. … Bill did this all the time in New England.” (34:00)
Giving an example of Belichick’s former NFL players, Lombardi mentioned wide receiver Julian Edelman and how he received raises based on performances, and how his and quarterback Tom Brady’s pairing made them the best.
Edelman made over $46 million in career earnings with the Patriots. This, after starting out on a $310,000 base salary in 2009.
Belichick had previously said of his general that Lombardi is “one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with.” The two worked together at New England from 2014 to 2016. During that time, the Patriots won Super Bowls 49 and 51.
Belichick and Lombardi’s season will open on the gridiron on Sept. 1, when the Tar Heels take on the TCU Horned Frogs at home at Kenan Stadium. The two teams last met in 1997.