Was Bill Belichick willing to do the unthinkable and join the New York Jets?
According to the New York Post and The Athletic, North Carolina’s new head coach has contacted the Jets bigwig to inquire about his former rivals’ head coaching vacancy. According to reports, Belichick never had a formal interview or meeting with anyone from the Jets.
Jets owner Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh after back-to-back losses earlier this season. That decision drew criticism from Belichick, who defected from the Jets to the New England Patriots after one day in 2000.
“Yeah, well see, that’s kind of what it was there with the Jets,” Belichick told Eli and Peyton Manning on ESPN last month. ‘They have barely gained more than 30 percent in the last ten years. The owner is the owner, just ready, shoot, aim.’
Jets spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for confirmation.
Belichick had just been introduced as North Carolina’s next football coach on Thursday when Chancellor Lee Roberts came armed with a gift: a gray short-sleeved hoodie — somewhat of a trademark from Belichick’s NFL coaching days — with a blue interlocking “NC” logo .
Bill Belichick, introduced as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels football team
Bill Belichick in May 1998, when he was still the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets
It was visual confirmation, which will take some getting used to, that the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, whose name became synonymous with NFL success, has taken an unexpected first dip into college coaching. He now heads a program at a school with a national name, but one that has failed to sustain fleeting high-level success in football.
“I’ve always wanted to coach college football,” Belichick said during his introductory news conference on campus. ‘It just never really worked out. I had some good years in the NFL, so that was okay. But this really is a dream come true.”
Belichick, who met with his new team before the media, certainly seemed at ease Thursday. He sidestepped the short and gruff responses he became known for during his time with the Patriots — something he joked about as his “aura” at the press conference during Monday’s appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.” Instead, he came with a grin and jokes, starting when he entered the room and surveyed the large crowd of reporters, former players and others with college ties.
“Big crowd,” he said humbly to Roberts, then looked around the room with a smile before sitting down.
And that was it, along with the size of the hire that had grabbed a national spotlight that typically falls more on UNC for its tradition-rich blueblood basketball program.
The school’s administrators approved the terms of the five-year deal earlier Thursday, followed by governors of the state’s public university system after the news conference. The deal gives Belichick $10 million in base and additional salary per year – although this is only guaranteed for the first three years, including for buyout purposes – and there is also up to $3.5 million in annual bonuses.
As for the buyout if Belichick leaves, there is a $10 million fee if done before June 2025, which would discourage an unexpected jump to an NFL opener before next season, and then $1 million after that date.
Belichick shakes hands with University of North Carolina Chancellor Lee Roberts
Belichick hugs Jets defenseman Anthony Pleasant after winning the AFC East title
There are also estimates that the school will allocate $10 million in assistant coaching salaries, $1 million in strength and conditioning staff, $5.3 million in support staff such as general managers, and $13 million in eventual revenue sharing among athletes.
“I really think football is the economic engine in college sports, and we have to be really good at football to stay relevant on a national basis,” UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham said after the press conference. “We’re there in basketball, we’re there in a lot of our Olympic sports. But we need to make sure our football program is elite.
‘I think this shows our commitment. Now the performance will show whether we can do it or not.’
Belichick arrived in a dark suit, a light blue shirt and a tie with a white-light blue pattern. He sat between Roberts and Cunningham, who paid his own tribute by donning a suit jacket with the sleeves cut off to mimic Belichick’s cut-off sideline look.
“I’m here to, like Bubba said, teach, develop and build a program the way I believe in,” Belichick said.
The move from 73-year-old Mack Brown to 72-year-old Belichick means UNC is turning to a coach who has never worked at the college level yet had incredible success in the NFL alongside quarterback Tom Brady for most of the time. his 24-year tenure with the Patriots, which ended last season.
Belichick has 333 regular-season and postseason wins in the NFL, trailing only Don Shula’s 347 for the NFL record, while his 31 playoff wins are the most in league history.
Since leaving the Patriots, specifically the Atlanta Falcons in January, he had been linked to NFL jobs. And he had seemingly established himself in the media world, including appearances on former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning’s “Manningcast” broadcasts on Monday Night Football, as well as appearances on McAfee’s show.
Belichick watches as the Jets take on the Carolina Panthers in November 1998
Belichick at a press conference announcing his resignation as head coach of the Jets
That’s why Belichick’s talks with UNC — first reported by Inside Carolina and confirmed by the AP last week — were such a surprise as an unexpected and unconventional candidate.
There is also at least a little family connection to the UNC program for Belichick; his late father, Steve, was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 1953-55. Belichick made a nod to that by bringing out a white school sweater of his father’s during the press conference.
When asked about fans’ concerns that he would quickly leave for the next NFL job, Belichick said, “I didn’t come here to leave.”
And when asked how long he might want to continue coaching, he was quick to joke.
“That’s better than work,” Belichick said, chuckling. My dad told me this: If you love what you do, it’s not work. I love what I do. I love coaching.’
Belichick looks on after his final game as the Patriots coach – against the Jets in January
Belichick smiles during his introductory press conference in North Carolina on Thursday
He arrives on campus at a time of rapid change in college athletics, from free agent movement through the transfer portal and athletes’ ability to make money from endorsements to the looming arrival of revenue sharing. And he takes over a program for a nationally renowned school that has never had success in elite football in its long history.
Belichick said his staff, both in coaching and support, would certainly have a “strong presence of NFL people.” Interim Tar Heels coach Freddie Kitchens is an example; Belichick said he plans to keep the former Cleveland Browns head coach on his staff.
Another is Michael Lombardi, a former NFL general manager and executive who is leaving a media job to become UNC’s general manager. Lombardi was present at the press conference on Thursday.
“To work with Belichick again is probably another dream come true,” Lombardi said. “We had success in Cleveland, we had success together in New England, and it feels good to work that way. And I love building football teams.”