Could “Chapel Bill” be over before it even got started?
On Wednesday, NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported that newly hired North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick has heard from “multiple teams” about their head coaching vacancies, with one team in particular raising eyebrows:
The Las Vegas Raiders.
Other than his reverence for the history of the game and some public comments in recent years praising the organization for their state of the art Las Vegas Strip facilities, Belichick previously had no personal connection to the Raiders franchise.
But with Patriots legends Tom Brady and Richard Seymour becoming minority owners of the Raiders in October, Belichick’s ties to Vegas are now obvious.
Pelissero wrote for NFL.com, “Brady has been in touch with Belichick recently as the Raiders weighed the future of head coach Antonio Pierce, who was fired on Tuesday after going 4-13 in his lone season as the full-time head coach.
He went on to say that sources tell him that Brady believes the situation in Las Vegas requires a coach of Belichick's “expertise and stature to establish a sustainable winning program.”
With Belichick having just signed a five-year deal to coach at the college level for the first time in his career, there would be some financial hurdles for Belichick to deal with, if he were to jump back to the pros before coaching one game at UNC.
Pelissero wrote, “Belichick's contract at North Carolina 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. Either way, it's a fraction of Belichick's salary by the end of his Patriots tenure, making it relatively easy to get out of, whether an NFL team or Belichick himself pays the buyout.”
The veteran NFL reporter said that at least one other team has reached out to Belichick, but did not specify which one.
Other than the Patriots and Raiders, here are the franchises who currently have openings:
- Chicago Bears
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Jets
It’s also worth noting that Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy’s contract with Dallas expires on January 14. With that said, Dallas recently blocked McCarthy from interviewing with the Bears for their head coach opening.
It’s also worth noting that the Raiders are slated to visit Foxborough for a regular season game in 2025, in a game that would surely vault to the top of every TV network’s wish list of games if Belichick is wearing all black on the sidelines for Vegas.
“Yeah, I didn’t come here to leave,” Belichick said during his December introductory press conference in Chapel Hill, NC, drawing applause from a crowd undoubtedly filled with Tar Heel faithful.
We’ll see if Belichick has to walk this emphatic statement back on a resignation napkin for UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham in the coming days.