Bill Belichick’s interest in jumping to college was initially theorized as a ploy to better position himself for a return to the NFL — but it turned into a stunning hire. The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach accepted the job at the University of North Carolina.
It was no secret Belichick wanted to get back into coaching after leaving the New England Patriots after the 2023 season and spending time in the media as an analyst in 2024. But why jump to the college ranks, a level he has never coached at? Was he trying to prove a point? One ESPN analyst seems to think so.
ESPN Analyst Shares Reasons Belichick Chose Chapel Hill
ESPN’s Seth Wickersham recently shared an article detailing meetings and conversations that helped show the path for Belichick going from wanting to get back into the NFL to taking over for Mack Brown at North Carolina.
After 24 seasons as head coach of the New England Patriots, Belichick thought he’d land somewhere else for the 2024 season. The only team that emerged as a potential candidate was the Atlanta Falcons. They ultimately hired Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Belichick decided to join the media crowd for the season, including appearances on the “ManningCast” and “Inside the NFL.” But his desire was always to get back into coaching.
Bill Belichick on going back to school: pic.twitter.com/n6QfE89bnM
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 12, 2024
According to Wickersham, Belichick and his crew would watch games and teams and ultimately think about which teams were likely to be looking for a new coach and where he could land. The Chicago Bears, who fired Matt Eberflus on Black Friday, emerged as a top potential option for Belichick. The problem was that he didn’t think the Bears would consider him.
The New York Jets, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys were also mentioned, but for one reason or another, Belichick didn’t see them as a fit.
In addition, Wickersham reports Belichick’s thoughts on the NFL had shifted and not in a good way.
Look at the past year. Robert Kraft, whose life and legacy was forever altered by Belichick, fired him in January. Only one out of seven teams with openings showed interested in hiring him. The Falcons interviewed him twice, but when it came time for the team’s brass to rank choices, Belichick failed to land in anyone’s top three candidates — in part, ESPN later reported, because Kraft helped torpedo his chances.
That’s when Belichick shifted gears to the college level, where his son, Stephen, is currently coaching (defensive coordinator at the University of Washington).
Belichick started to embrace the challenge of coaching at the college level, particularly at the school where his father, Steve, worked as a boy.
This was also Belichick looking out for himself. “This is a big f— you to the NFL,” Wickersham was told by a Belichick confidant.
Belichick wanted total control of the team he was coaching. That was highly unlikely to happen at the NFL level. At the college level? He can now control recruiting, the transfer portal, and just about anything he wants.
Ultimately, Belichick seemed to end up getting his cake and eating it too. He can coach, run a football program, have the challenge of returning North Carolina football to glory — the Tar Heels have never won a national championship and haven’t won the ACC since 1980 — and, maybe most importantly to him, tell the NFL what he truly thinks.