Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will return to coaching at the college level after finalizing a three-year, $30 million deal to become the University of North Carolina's head football coach.
Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will return to coaching at the college level after finalizing a three-year, $30 million deal to become the University of North Carolina's head football coach.Steven Senne/Associated Press
Bill Belichick must be thrilled right now, getting back into coaching after an 11-month hiatus. Hired Wednesday night by the University of North Carolina, Belichick gets everything he wanted — the opportunity to coach football again, with, ostensibly, full control of the team.
The folks in Chapel Hill, N.C. must be thrilled as well. Their football program has never been more relevant than it is now that Belichick, one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, is leading the program. Carolina is no longer just a basketball school.
But for many of us, the news of Belichick heading to UNC lands mostly with sadness. Belichick going to UNC means the book is closed on his NFL career. He lasted 49 years in the league, morphing from a 23-year-old grunt for the Lions to a six-time Super Bowl-winning coach with the Patriots. But he won’t get to Year 50.
It’s sad that Belichick won’t be chasing down Don Shula’s all-time NFL wins record, or a seventh Super Bowl ring, with another franchise.
It would’ve been fun to see how Belichick could do with another franchise, another owner, and another quarterback, much as it was fun to track Tom Brady in Tampa Bay for his final three seasons. It would have been fun to see Belichick get his revenge game against the Krafts.
And Belichick, surely, would have liked to erase the “never won without Brady” part of his resume.
Shula’s record for all-time wins — Belichick (333) is 14 behind Shula (347) — is another piece of business that will go unfinished for Belichick. Shula ripped Belichick for years, calling him “Belicheat.” Now Belichick won’t get a chance at revenge. Shula’s record appears safe for at least a few years until Andy Reid (296) comes along.
Outside of winning a national championship, coaching at UNC will do little for Belichick’s legacy. The top of his resume will always read, “Six-time Super Bowl winner with the Patriots [and two more with the Giants].” Belichick’s UNC tenure will almost certainly be a blip that fades away with time, much like Bill Walsh ending his coaching career at Stanford.
It’s also sad that no NFL team seems to want Belichick anymore. Why take a college job now unless Belichick knows that the NFL isn’t happening this year? Clearly, Belichick got the hint that the Jaguars, Cowboys, Giants or any number of teams won’t be calling him this year.
The lack of interest isn’t surprising given the Falcons was the only team out of eight that showed interest in Belichick last year. The reality is that 72-year-old coaches with a history of being difficult to work with aren’t in demand in today’s NFL. Youth, eloquence and energy matter more than six Super Bowl trophies.
It’s sad that Belichick has to lower himself to a program like UNC. It’s one thing if Belichick were taking over a blue blood program like Notre Dame or Ohio State. But the Tar Heels have won 10 games just once in 25 years and haven’t won an ACC title since 1980. Belichick will probably be finishing out his career in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, or the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl.
It’s sad that Belichick apparently can’t work in any other setup than with total control. There has been a lot of talk in the last week, from Belichick confidants like Michael Lombardi, that Belichick just wants to coach, and he doesn’t care if it’s at a mid-tier program like UNC.
That’s possible, but it certainly seems that Belichick just wants to coach on his terms. If he just wanted to coach, he could have taken the job that 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan offered him last year. Or Belichick could have sought to become a wise old overseer similar to Tom Moore, 86, who has been a Bucs consultant since 2019.
But taking the UNC job tells us that Belichick just wants to coach without interference. He spent 24 years doing things his way with the Patriots, amassing total control by the time he won his third Super Bowl. It appears Belichick doesn’t want to coach football any other way.
And finally, it’s sad that Belichick won’t be analyzing the NFL anymore in the media. His segments on the CW’s “Inside the NFL,” and his live analysis on ESPN’s “ManningCast” with Peyton and Eli Manning during “Monday Night Football” games, was some of the most insightful commentary ever given on the sport.
John Madden might be the only announcer in history who has matched Belichick’s ability to break down tactics, teams and intricacies of pro football with remarkable simplicity. Belichick would probably be the greatest TV announcer ever, even better than Madden, if Belichick wanted to commit to it. Instead, he’s going to UNC, and depriving the rest of us of his brilliant analysis.
Belichick certainly has a lot to look forward to at UNC. He gets to coach again. He will likely get to work with his sons again. He faces new challenges — recruiting and coaching teenagers, managing an NIL budget (which UNC reportedly is increasing to $20 million from $4 million), mastering a completely different game at the college level, and turning a second-rate program into a consistent winner. And he gets to do it on his terms.
But as much as he may enjoy his new challenge, it’s sad for the rest of us who wanted to see Belichick end his career in the NFL.
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.