Coaching is an addiction. Rarely do coaches leave willingly. They’re usually fired or forced to resign and can not wait to get back into the game. When you spend your life crafting a singular skill that is your identity, calling it quits doesn’t compute. And for the first time since 1974, Bill Belichick is not on an NFL sideline.
Instead, he is a media star working several gigs that have made terrific use of his experience and knowledge as a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach. It’s the perfect spot for a 72-year-old future Hall of Famer who wants to remain connected to football.
Belichick doesn’t need to return to coaching. There has been much speculation regarding where Belichick will be in 2025. Recently, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio floated the idea of Belichick and Aaron Rodgers teaming up with the New York Giants. Belichick running the Giants makes sense. He was the defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells when the franchise won its first two Super Bowls after the 1986 and 1990 regular seasons.
If this were a work of fiction, that would be the natural story arc. However, in the real world, there are hurdles to that possibility. The Giants still have a head coach in Brian Daboll and Rodgers is still under contract with the New York Jets for 2025. What we do know is that there are three teams with openings: the Chicago Bears, the New Orleans Saints, and the Jets. That number figures to grow by the end of the regular season when Black Monday arrives. Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is working under an expiring deal, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Doug Pederson and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Antonio Pierce are in trouble.
Belichick is the biggest star on the coaching market. Unlike last year when he failed to land a new job after leaving the New England Patriots, he’s likely to get an offer this winter. But is a return to coaching the right move at this stage of his life? Belichick has earned universal applause for his media work. His ability to inform the audience and explain how organizations work is unique. He has been engaging, funny, and a fabulous storyteller. This is in complete contrast to the gruff and boring personality we’ve seen from him as a coach.
Television can polish anyone’s image. Belichick knows that. Without the pressure of having to win, he is free to be relaxed. This revamped Belichick is distinctly more likable, and that makes a huge difference in public perception. In America’s most popular sport, nobody is better equipped to talk football than Belichick.
However, it doesn’t matter what we think. If Belichick still sees himself only as a coach who has been waiting for an opportunity, then we all know what’s next. The real question is how much will ego drive his decision. When Tom Brady left the Patriots after the 2019 season, Belichick ceased winning at a high level. He went 29-38 with no playoff victories in his final four seasons in New England. Meanwhile, Brady won the Super Bowl in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His instant success contributed to the narrative that Brady did more for Belichick than vice versa.
If Belichick is annoyed by that perception, this ‘I’ll-prove-them-wrong’ motivation might be ill-advised. The two oldest coaches to win a Super Bowl are Bruce Arians (68) with Tampa Bay and Belichick (66). What did they both have in common? Brady was their quarterback. Coaching is skewing younger than ever. One of the biggest criticisms of Belichick was that his authoritarian ways were no longer effective with today’s athletes.
Perhaps Belichick wants to coach for a different reason. Maybe he misses the competitiveness, the camaraderie, and the teaching. If that’s the case, he should go. But chances are he will make a bigger impact on the NFL by being its best media ambassador.
