Legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick made massive headlines in early December when he signed a five-year, $50 million contract to become the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. The move took most people in the football world by surprise as no one was expecting him to transition to college football so late in his career.
However, there are now rumors that his college tenure could be very short, and instead, he could get hired by the Las Vegas Raiders.
NFL Media Personality Explains Why Bill Belichick Could Get Hired by the Las Vegas Raiders
On Wednesday, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that several NFL teams have inquired about whether Bill Belichick would be interested in returning to the league.
“Multiple NFL teams have inquired about whether legendary coach Bill Belichick would reconsider his move to college football – including the Raiders, whose new minority owner Tom Brady spoke recently with his old coach, per league sources,” Pelissero tweeted.
He also reported the buyout clause in his contract with UNC.
Bill Belichick's UNC contract includes a $10 million buyout if he leaves prior to June 1, 2025, though it's not entirely clear whether it would apply if he returns to the NFL in the coming weeks. Six NFL HC jobs are open: #Jets, #Saints, #Bears, #Patriots, #Jaguars and #Raiders. https://t.co/avPvRs0nNX
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 8, 2025
“Bill Belichick’s UNC contract includes a $10 million buyout if he leaves prior to June 1, 2025, though it’s not entirely clear whether it would apply if he returns to the NFL in the coming weeks. Six NFL HC jobs are open: Jets, Saints, Bears, Patriots, Jaguars, and Raiders.”
With that information out in the world, several media personalities have started to talk about the possibility of Belichick’s move back to the NFL. On Thursday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio spoke about this on ‘NFL on NBC.’
“The question is, who is interested if not the Raiders? Remember, his consigliere Mike Lombardi was crapping on the Jaguars in an indirect way by saying you’ve got teams whose sons run the analytics department. I’m not so sure the Jaguars are going to be calling.
“And where are the great jobs? That’s a problem. Jobs become open because the team stinks. Very rarely is there a head coaching search conducted by a perennial Super Bowl contender. Those coaches stay put and when coaches walk away they have a succession plan. The Raiders would be the only one that makes sense.”
Las Vegas would make sense as a destination for Bill Belichick because his former quarterback, Tom Brady, recently became a minority owner of the team. However, it is unclear if Belichick has any real interest in returning to the NFL or if this is just an effort from NFL teams to lure him back.