Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Belichick is a six-time Super Bowl champion as a head coach, a two-time champion as an assistant coach, and a three-time Coach of the Year. With that kind of résumé, when he speaks on something, people usually listen.
Belichick was rumored to be interested in taking a coaching job in the NFL this season before ultimately leaving in favor of college, taking the job as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. While he didn’t end up taking an NFL job this season, he did speak on a controversial topic when it comes to hiring coaches.
Bill Belichick Calls Interviewing Non-Eliminated Coaches for Jobs ‘Disruptive’
It has become commonplace for coordinators to take meetings for job openings before their teams’ seasons have ended in recent years. This is particularly common for coordinators of teams that have clinched a first-round bye, as they have additional time, with the extra week off with no set opponent.
“I’ve never been a big fan of it,” Belichick said on his “Let’s Go! with Bill Belichick” podcast. “I think it’s unfair to the teams that have performed and worked so hard to get to that position to have another team that’s obviously not a good team, that has created their own negative situation by having to hire a new coach because of their performance, generally is able to disrupt the team that’s trying to win a championship.”
Belichick raises an interesting point, as there is no rush to remedy these situations for teams who missed the playoffs. They can’t make any moves anyway during the postseason. Meanwhile, coordinators for playoff teams are still under contract, and they have a responsibility to their teams to have all their attention and focus on the game at hand.
“Nobody would be happy if that was a player. But for a coach, that’s also very disruptive, especially when you’re the play caller,” Belichick said. “I mean, it’s just human nature to be distracted by a potential job opening … so I don’t like it, but it’s not my rule. It’s not my choice.”
Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn Perfectly Represent Belichick’s Point
While this is not a new phenomenon, two cases from this year can be looked at when it comes to this scenario. The Detroit Lions finished the year with the No. 1 seed in the NFC and hosted the Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Amid their playoff run, both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn conducted virtual interviews with teams for potential head coach openings. Unfortunately for Detroit, they were upset by the Commanders, surrendering 45 points on defense, and turning the ball over five times on offense.
While nobody is suggesting that this is the reason that they lost, it is worth noting that Detroit was sloppy on both sides of the ball, and Belichick’s point may have some credence here. Presumably, both coordinators gave it their all, but there may have been a part of them thinking about these potential jobs, and that could’ve served as a distraction.
In Johnson’s case, he wasted no time signing on with a new team after the season ended. After being eliminated from the postseason on Jan. 18, Johnson agreed to become the head coach of the Bears on Jan. 20.
Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Ben Johnson as their head coach. (via @tompelissero) pic.twitter.com/3gsGxegg5i
— NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2025
Belichick noted that he didn’t interview for the Cleveland Browns head coach job until after the Giants had won the Super Bowl when he was their defensive coordinator. “I think I was very fortunate and glad that I didn’t have to deal with that,” Belichick said.
Johnson and Glenn are just the latest in a long line of coordinators who have done this, and they surely won’t be the last, unless there is a rule change that arises to prevent this from happening.