The Dallas Cowboys' ongoing quest to rectify their playoff failures will carry on with a new head coach next season. Management and Mike McCarthy could not agree on the length for a potential new contract, bringing about an official end to the latter's run with America's Team. The franchise's search for a 10th HC will command copious headlines, with a number of intriguing candidates bound to enter the equation. Could that crop of contenders include an all-time great?

Evidently, if the Cowboys and McCarthy split approximately a month earlier, new North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick might have waited to make a decision regarding his employment status.

“{For what it's worth}: Bill Belichick would have been interested in the Cowboys' job, and it's believed that Dallas would have been interested in him, had he known the position would become available,” Fox Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz posted on Monday. “Belichick and his camp never received any indication during backchannel conversations that the job would open up, which is partly why he ended up at UNC. Belichick has an excellent relationship with the Jones family.”

Is Bill Belichick an actual option for Cowboys?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones walks off the field before the game between the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Schultz is not reporting any attempted coaching thievery at this time, but based on the latest information, the possibility of owner Jerry Jones trying to convince the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach to abandon Chapel Hill for Dallas is at least worth pondering. Due to Belichick's contractual commitment to the Tar Heels, poaching him would cost $10 million as of now. Though, if the Cowboys were to keep the slot open until June 1, the buyout fee would decrease to $1 million.

Jones is one of the wealthiest owners in the NFL, so forking over $10 million to North Carolina should not be a huge problem for him. Assuming he wants to join forces with the former New England Patriots leader, the oil and real estate tycoon can make it happen. But maybe Belichick is satisfied with his modified career path.

He has already started recruiting players and adding talent through the transfer portal. His son, Steve Belichick, also left the Washington Huskies to work under him at Carolina. The university and fan base are excited about what this hiring can do for the program in the immediate future. There is one potential warning sign, however.

His coaching staff remains incomplete. Naturally, people are wondering why Belichick is taking his time to round out his workforce. Hypothetically speaking, a swift betrayal would cruelly crush the Tar Heels community while also creating major complications for the team.

Again, there are currently no reports that suggest Bill Belichick is ready to jump back to the NFL. New North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi also denied the notion. But the possible motivation to restore the Cowboys' ailing reputation could be quite powerful. And so the theorizing begins.