After legendary head coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots ended one of the most fruitful relationships in the history of sports, it was widely expected that Belichick would be back on the sidelines for an NFL team before long.
He decided to take this season off from coaching and instead make the rounds on multiple media outlets, and there was plenty of speculation about which team he would join in the coming months.
But instead of returning to the NFL, Belichick officially decided to become the new head coach of University of North Carolina football on Wednesday.
According to Brendan Marks of The Athletic, his contract with the Tar Heels will pay him $30 million over three years.
Sources with @BrendanRMarks : UNC's deal with Bill Belichick is for 3 years, $30 million.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) December 11, 2024
The Tar Heels have never really been a prominent football school, but that may change at least somewhat with Belichick at the helm.
This move has surprised many, especially considering he has never coached in the NCAA before and is within striking distance of surpassing Don Shula for the most wins in NFL history as a head coach.
Belichick, of course, teamed with legendary quarterback Tom Brady to lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships during the 2000s and 2010s, which has made him, in the minds of many, the greatest coach in NFL history.
But there are those who feel he falls a bit short of that honor, given his lack of success in the years he didn’t have Brady under center.
Perhaps having tremendous success at Chapel Hill will do something about that hole in his legacy.
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