FOXBORO — Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick may head to the college ranks for his next job, as he has reportedly interviewed for the head coaching vacancy at North Carolina.
Inside Carolina was first to report that Belichick has interviewed with the Tar Heels for the program’s opening, which was later confirmed by several other outlets. North Carolina fired Mack Brown last month after a 6-6 season, and a 44-33 run over six years at Chapel Hill for the 73-year-old.
It’s an interesting and somewhat surprising move by Belichick, who is 72 years old and has never coached at the college level before. But he’s been adamant that he wants to coach again since his 24-year run with the Patriots came to an end last year, and is apparently exploring every avenue to get back on the sideline.
Andrew Carter of The News and Observer reported that Belichick “blew them away in the interview” with the Tar Heels, though he added that hiring Belichick remains unlikely given his age and lack of experience at the collegiate level.
Bill Belichick has no college coaching experience
While Belichick is arguably the greatest coach to ever do it in the NFL — with six Super Bowl rings as a head coach for the Patriots and two others as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants — he has never coached in college. He started his career as a special assistant with the Baltimore Colts in 1975, and remained in the NFL up until the end of his run in New England.
He’s had several media gigs over the last year, but this is the first time that Belichick has interviewed for a college-level job. It would be quite the change from the NFL with the transfer portal and the NIL, which are reasons why a lot of the NCAA lifers have begun to step away from the job. But Belichick should be able to bring plenty of recruiting clout to the mix and could likely build a pretty solid team for the 2025 season.
Belichick also has a small connection to UNC, as his father, Steve, spent three years as an assistant coach at the school from 1953-55.
Are there any jobs in the NFL for Bill Belichick?
Maybe interviewing with UNC is Belichick’s way of keeping all options open. Or maybe he has a good idea that an NFL job won’t be available to him in 2025.
Belichick would love to return to the NFL and get the 15 wins that he needs to pass Don Shula on the league’s all-time wins list. But he only interviewed for one job after his departure from New England, and the Atlanta Falcons went with Raheem Morris to fill their vacancy. Belichick had offers to join the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams as a defensive coordinator, but turned those down.
The New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears will be looking for a new head coach this offseason, and the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, and Jacksonville Jaguars may join them come “Black Monday.” The Dallas Cowboys were considered a potential landing spot for Belichick during the season, but owner Jerry Jones has hinted that Mike McCarthy may get a contract extension in recent weeks. So Belichick’s options would likely be limited again.
An NFL job may open for Belichick at some point, but for now he’s keeping all of his options open to get back on the sideline. That includes exploring options at in the collegiate ranks.