2023 has been a year to forget for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. As we enter Week 16, the Pats are one of the NFL‘s worst teams and in the driver’s seat when it comes to a top-five draft pick in April. With such a rich history of winning and league-wide dominance, it has caught some by surprise.
Belichick has been coaching for a long time and has earned everything he’s been given, even in a down year. With his pedigree comes a tremendous amount of respect — and money as well.
But does that respect earn him the title of the highest-paid coach in the NFL?
Is Bill Belichick the NFL’s Highest-Paid Head Coach?
Not only is Belichick the highest-paid coach in the NFL, but according to Sportico, he topped the list of the highest-paid coaches in all of U.S. sports for the third consecutive year.
It is reported that Belichick pulls in $25 million per season to be the Patriots’ head coach. It makes sense that a coach of his stature, with the résumé he’s built, is the highest in the league.
However, it may surprise some when you put into context that there isn’t a single coach in the country who makes more money than Belichick.
It might also tell you something about the money the NFL generates as a league when you realize that first-year Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is second on the list with $18 million a year.
Not until you get to No. 3 is there a coach from a different league. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich of the NBA sits third with an annual salary of $16 million a year.
Rounding out the top five are Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, putting four out of the top five highest-paid coaches in the United States hailing from the NFL.
Belichick’s Future Is Uncertain
Despite the price tag and the wealth he has accumulated to this point, what Belichick’s future looks like beyond 2023 is uncertain.
There have been rumors of the Patriots possibly going in another direction with their head coaching position. Such talk has thrust Belichick into the spotlight where people are trying to figure out just what is next for the historically great head coach.
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The feeling is that he would like to continue coaching. If the Patriots were to move on, the sentiment is that there would be plenty of suitors for the future Hall of Famer.
Belichick has done all you can in his profession, but the rest of his story is still unwritten, and whether there will be another chapter elsewhere is still unknown at this time.
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