With rumors coming out the past few weeks about NFL teams reaching out to Bill Belichick, some more news recently came out about his contract with North Carolina football, according to CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones.
“Bill Belichick does not have a signed contract at UNC, which is not uncommon in college but does introduce gray area as to how much — if any — of the $10M buyout would be paid should he bolt for the NFL,” Jones wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
That report was quickly retracted by North Carolina's general manager Michael Lombardi.
“Bill is recruiting in DC today and Baltimore tomorrow,” Lombardi wrote. “His focus is on North Carolina football, hiring staff members and developing the team. The NFL isnt a option so please stop making it one. Thank you.”
Two conflicting reports, and it's hard to take away what the truth is.
Bill Belichick hasn't signed contract with North Carolina
With Bill Belichick not having yet signed his contract with North Carolina, that could leave a lot of doors open for the legendary head coach to pursue other opportunities. One of those opportunities could be in the NFL, even though there have been multiple reports that have said Belichick isn't going anywhere.
One of the latest head coach openings was the Dallas Cowboys, and Belichick would have had interest in the job if he hadn't taken the North Carolina position, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Another spot that seemed realistic for Belichick was the Las Vegas Raiders, where Tom Brady is a part owner of the team. Brady and Belichick did have a conversation, but it was more about Brady trying to get advice from his former coach about what they should be doing to build their team.
It's uncertain if Belichick would bolt from the Tar Heels to go back to the NFL, but anything seems to be on the table.