Did Bill Belichick Shun Saints, Cowboys Before Joining UNC?

Legendary head coach Bill Belichick is joining the college football ranks at UNC, but the eight-time Super Bowl champion believes he could’ve landed an NFL job had he waited until the end of the season. Following an unprecedented 20-year run of dominance alongside quarterback Tom Brady, Belichick struggled to rebuild the New England Patriots after the former sixth-round pick left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After what was labeled a mutual parting in 2023, Bill Belichick spent the 2024 season out of football before signing on to coach UNC. Now set to join the college ranks for the first time in his storied career, Belichick said that he would’ve drawn “some interest” from NFL teams had he waited for the upcoming hiring cycle. Is Belichick lying through his teeth, or is he saying that UNC is a better fit than teams like the New Orleans Saints or Dallas Cowboys?

“I think there would’ve been some interest, but in the end, really, it’s not about what could’ve been or would’ve been, it’s about the opportunity at North Carolina. I think this program is in the right spot now to take off.”

Bill Belichick Throws Shade At NFL While Joining UNC

Let’s start by acknowledging that Belichick could be lying. After winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, Belichick is a lock for the Hall of Fame and will inevitably go down as one of the greatest minds in NFL history. However, he wanted a chance to prove himself outside of New England, and that opportunity never arose last year. Now a year older, teams are understandably reluctant to invest too much in a 72-year-old head coach.

However, for the sake of argument, let’s assume Belichick is telling the truth and genuinely chose UNC over a shot at an NFL job. Nobody would have him as their top choice, but he could’ve landed with a relatively undesirable opening like the New Orleans Saints, or reconnected with Jerry Jones in Dallas if the team moves on from Mike McCarthy.

Overlooking NFL Teams

The New Orleans Saints already fired Dennis Allen, and interim head coach Darren Rizzi probably won’t keep the job in 2024. This means the team could start looking at someone like Bill Belichick, although they’d probably prefer someone like Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. However, those two will be in high demand and probably won’t want to land the Saints job.

Head coaches must win games to keep their jobs, and the Saints aren’t in a position to promote sustained success. The team is in salary cap hell and has no realistic path to a quarterback upgrade. They might have to settle for their fourth or fifth option, which could be Bill Belichick. However, Belichick may have decided not to spend his glory years with a team refuses to build for the future.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, have a franchise quarterback in Dak Prescott but lack an owner willing to spend. Jerry Jones begrudgingly paid homegrown stars Prescott and CeeDee Lamb this past offseason but used those massive deals to justify his unwillingness to bolster the depth on the roster. With Micah Parsons set to earn a record-breaking deal, Dallas will likely avoid adding outside talent for the second straight season. Does Bill Belichick want to deal with that, or would he rather build a program in his image at UNC?

Main Photo: Bob Donnan – USA Today Sports

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