Bill Belichick on radar of AFC team that just fired head coach

While it looked like Bill Belichick made a preemptive move to pass on the 2025 HC carousel, teams are interested in seeing if he would hop back on for a second straight year. Belichick took the top job in North Carolina last month, but he is now connected to NFL vacancies again.

The Raiders are among them, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who reports Tom Brady — who is playing a central role in the Las Vegas HC search — recently contacted his former coach to see about a reunion. A notable buyout number exists in Belichick’s Tar Heels contract, but it would not be a dealbreaker for an NFL team, considering what Belichick was earning with the Patriots. At least one other team has inquired as well.

Before June 1, it would cost an NFL team $10M in a buyout scenario with the ACC school. After that date, the buyout drops to $1M. The $10M payment would be due within 180 days, The Athletic’s Tashan Reed adds. This was essentially designed to ensure a Belichick commitment this year, and at his age (73 in April), it is unrealistic to expect too many more connections to NFL jobs beyond this year. That made his Tar Heels decision so surprising, considering the eight-time Super Bowl winner (counting two DC rings) had only coached in the NFL before the December decision.

Some at North Carolina are concerned about the buyout scenario, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, who indicates that $10M has not bothered NFL folk. This stands to give Belichick an actual safety school, so to speak, as it would stand to reason he would be interested in an NFL opportunity — were it to come along after a befuddling 2024.

The Raiders fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday, and veteran NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that part of the delay was due to the availability of two unnamed candidates. It is possible that a feeler to Belichick indicated intrigue, though no interview is scheduled yet. The Raiders have thus far sent invites to Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson, with ex-Belichick assistant Brian Flores also on the radar. Considering Belichick’s past with Josh McDaniels, this would certainly be an interesting pursuit.

Indeed, Pelissero adds Brady spoke with Belichick while the Raiders were determining Pierce’s future. It would stand to reason the quarterback-turned-announcer/minority owner’s former boss indicated he was interested. Mark Davis turning back to the Patriot Way would be strange, given how quickly the McDaniels-Dave Ziegler regime unraveled. But Davis has given Brady considerable authority, signaling he is OK with certain members of the former dynasty.

The college game has changed substantially this decade, with the NIL landscape and transfer portal reshaping all sports — football chief among them. Belichick signing on during this time always made for a strange fit, even with his extensive background running an NFL team. Belichick, however, was believed to be studying the college game as he determined potential NFL fits. No significant interest was believed to have come the legendary coach’s way from the league after the Falcons interviewed him twice last year — being the only team to meet with him about a top job — only to pass on him for Raheem Morris. Belichick was then reported to be “disgusted” with the NFL, setting his sights on the college game.

While the other NFL Belichick suitors are unknown, Pelissero mentions the Jaguars as a potential fit. Belichick has a relationship with Tony Khan, the son of Jaguars owner Shad Khan, and was loosely tied to that job earlier this season. A Belichick-Trent Baalke partnership was believed to be a non-starter, but the Jags may well be open to an arrangement in which Baalke slides to a different role in the organization after a four-year run as GM. Jacksonville, however, is also highly interested in Johnson.

Given how high Davis has been on Brady’s input since his official arrival as a part-owner, the new organizational voice stumping for Belichick would make this a situation to closely monitor. While it would put North Carolina in a bad spot, Belichick saw how other teams viewed him during the 2024 offseason, as the age issue proved significant. This could be his last chance at an NFL gig, so it would be logical if this Raiders avenue would generate appeal.