Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick took a year off from coaching this season, but now, he’s back in the saddle and heading up North Carolina’s college program.
Of course, many NFL experts and analysts expected Belichick to coach in the NFL the upcoming season instead of college, so it was a bit of a surprise when he jumped at the North Carolina offer in December 2024. Well, as it turns out, there’s something in Belichick’s contract with North Carolina that could make him a very hirable NFL coach this summer.
Bill Belichick’s Buyout Number Drops This Summer
A report from the NFL Network released on Wednesday, January 8, shines some light on how Belichick’s North Carolina contract could free him up to return to the NFL in as early as this summer. The report also says that “multiple” teams have already wanted to talk with Belichick about leaving college to coach their teams.
Belichick’s buyout number plummels to only $1 million this summer, so it would be very feasible for him to leave college and get back to the NFL this summer, if that’s his desire.
Per a report from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, some NFL teams have already expressed interest in him. Pelissero states that Las Vegas Raiders is the main team who has expressed interest so far, but with six NFL teams looking for new head coaches, there are certainly more out there trying to talk with Belichick.
“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 stated in his X post.
Bill Belichick’s Chances of Leaving North Carolina
After Pelissero’s post went out on, NFL expert and analyst Dianna Russini of The Athletic followed it up with her own information.
According to her, it’s not likely that Belichick is interested in leaving North Carolina right now.
In a post on X, The Athletic stated that, “Bill Belichick has no plans to return to the NFL,” per Russini. Then, in her own post on X, Russini reiterated, “Bill Belichick has no plans to return to the NFL, per sources. I’m told his sole focus is on coaching and recruiting for North Carolina, as he continues building the Tar Heels’ future. He’s recruiting today in New Jersey.”
Russini also went on Barstool’s “Pardon My Take” on Wednesday and spoke about the Cowboys, who were thought to be one of the teams deeply interested in hiring Belichick earlier in the season.
Russini talked about the current Cowboys coach, Mike McCarthy, and his chances of staying with the Cowboys next season.
“I think the chances of him staying in Dallas are fair, like I think that could happen,” she said in the episode “Look I know that they did a little bit of work on some head coaches, behind the scenes, over the last few weeks. So, it wouldn’t shock me if they also move on.”