Blockbuster news broke this week when Bill Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl champion, decided to take over the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina. It is a move the football world has never really seen before. Only one other coach with three or more Super Bowl titles has ever gone on to coach in college—Bill Walsh. This is a decision nobody expected, yet it happened. It has left many to wonder if Belichick even considered one more run at an NFL job.
The simple answer is yes. He and a team of people he trusts evaluated potential landing spots for next year. New York, Dallas, and Jacksonville were all mentioned. However, each of them had issues he didn’t want to deal with. The Giants have a rebuild looming. Jerry Jones is an ongoing issue in Dallas. Jacksonville has serious questions regarding its ownership. Yet none of those teams were considered the best possible landing spot in Belichick’s eyes. Seth Wickersham of ESPN revealed who it was.
Which NFL teams might make a coaching change this year? And of those teams, which of them might be interested in a 72-year-old, eight-time Super Bowl champion? And of those teams, which would Belichick want most?
According to sources with direct knowledge, the group deemed that the Chicago Bears were probably the most attractive job, but that team brass was unlikely to consider Belichick.
Bill Belichick would’ve been a wild outcome.
The Bears haven’t employed a coach of that stature and prestige since George Halas retired in 1968. Imagine Bill Belichick chasing the all-time wins record in a Bears hoodie. That would’ve been difficult to process. It is likely he coveted the job because of the setup. They have a young quarterback in Caleb Williams, who appears to have genuine star potential. Their roster has made progress over the past couple of years, especially on the defensive side. They have plenty of resources to attack this off-season. Lastly, GM Ryan Poles was mentored by Scott Pioli, the man who helped Belichick build his first New England Patriots dynasty from 2001 to 2004. Yeah, it is a pretty good setup from his perspective.
Just not the Bears. From their viewpoint, this isn’t the same coach as a few years ago. Belichick is 72 and has only two winning seasons out of ten where Tom Brady wasn’t his quarterback. They had no reason to trust he’d be able to maximize Williams at this stage of his career.
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His resume would command respect immediately, and his ability to game plan opponents is well established. And with his long established knowledge of game situation, and clock management, I firmly believe he could have been “the leader of men” that Warren wanted. Too bad we’ll never know.
This is a total BS story. Belichick dropped several clues, including the fact that he didn’t seem to enamored with Caleb Williams and in the past he’s made several negative comments about the Bears organization. What is he, like a woman? No means yes. Lol!!! All he’s said said is no no no… no good things about the Bears. This piece is a made up farce. We all know the real truth about Belichick is : he wants a lot of money, he wants total control the roster, he wants total control of the position coaches he hires , and… Read more »
Too bad. He would’ve brought da Bears some respectability, even if for just a couple years. But he is rigid and wants power.
Bears ownership don’t like guys like Belly. Shame.
Well sally…bet he gets top recruits to sign up with him. He’s a big name and guys will want to play for him. Old ways or not. Saban was the reason top recruits went to Alabama. Otherwise why would anyone ever want to go to Alabama.
Very few Bears players would take to this old (pale) guy today, regardless of hoodie. And why should they? He is three generations removed, and his football style is too rigid, nuanced, and demanding for the millennials and Generation Z. His day has come and gone. So out with the old and in with the newer. Don’t be silly, get real.