Bill Belichick wants to return to the NFL field in 2025, as a coach.
The former New England Patriots coach is “fully invested” and “intends to coach in 2025,” NFL Media recently reported.
After leaving the Patriots in January, Belichick failed to find a new home this offseason. Seven other teams declined to hire him as their head coach, with the Atlanta Falcons being the only team to formally interview him.
The lack of interest in Belichick, who led the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories, might come as a surprise to some. But Colin Cowherd of FOX Sports isn’t surprised given his record the previous two seasons, which saw the Patriots go 12-22. Belichick also ran football operations in New England, but Cowherd said he wouldn’t want to hire the highly accomplished coach if he insisted on adding to the roster because of his “terrible” draft picks in recent years.
In fact, Cowherd thinks he can narrow the number of teams Belichick could coach down to three based on what he’s heard from his NFL sources.
“The list of teams Belichick wants to control, from what I’ve heard, is three teams: Philadelphia, Dallas and Buffalo,” Cowherd said on a recent edition of “The Herd.” “I’ve heard two things about Belichick, and I trust my sources on this: He prefers to stay in the East. He’s found his place in Nantucket. He plays golf in Jupiter, Fla., and Bill has no interest in moving everybody out West.
“The second thing is he’d like the quarterback situation to be stable. The post-(Tom) Brady instability was his downfall (in New England). There’s nothing more stable than Dak (Prescott) and Josh Allen. Jalen Hurts, we’ll see, but I think he’ll bounce back and have a better year.”
Where’s the best place for Bill Belichick to land?
The Eagles and Cowboys were considered potential suitors for Belichick this past offseason. The Eagles internally discussed replacing Nick Siranni with Belichick after their disappointing finish to the 2023 season, ESPN reported in April. Meanwhile, many speculated that the Cowboys would fire Mike McCarthy after their playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers and hire Belichick because of his friendship with owner Jerry Jones.
While those two teams have arguably had the strongest ties to Belichick since he became a free agent coach, Cowherd believes the third team on the “Beli checklist” is the one to watch.
“Buffalo really intrigues me, not because Sean McDermott isn’t a good coach … but we’re getting to a point with McDermott (where it might be time to get rid of him),” Cowherd said. “The receiving corps looks thin. The offense has been productive with Josh Allen, but we’re concerned about the progression of this team — the (offensive coordinator) hires, the offensive line and the lack of a running game. You’ve got Houston on the rise. Justin Herbert has Jim Harbaugh. The Ravens are still elite. Here’s Joe Burrow. Trevor Lawrence has his best team.”
“I think Sean McDermott, while not on the hot seat, feels like you can’t just win the division again. You have to have a higher standard. I know Buffalo is a small market, if they win 10 games and go 10-7, if they win a playoff game, everybody’s like, ‘Maybe next year.’ But I feel like there’s an underlying pressure on Sean McDermott. I don’t care what his contract status is. All these contracts are rounding errors for billionaire owners at this point.”
Can the Bills survive without Stefon Diggs?
The Bills have had a disappointing run in recent years since losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2020 AFC Championship. They have yet to return to the conference title game, losing in the divisional round each of the last three years. Last season’s loss was perhaps the worst of the three, falling at home to a Chiefs team that many considered the most vulnerable of the Patrick Mahomes era.
So if Belichick were to end up in Buffalo, he would be taking over a team that is on the verge of a Super Bowl appearance but has failed to make the jump. There could also be a personal motivation for him to take the Bills job as well, according to Cowherd.
“He could also come back and shove it under the Patriots’ nose,” Cowherd said. “We know Belichick can hold a grudge. You don’t think he wants to play the Patriots twice a year and shove it under Robert Kraft’s nose? You’re out of your mind.”
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