Bill Belichick may be out of an NFL job, but he sure isn't taking time off. The man who owns eight Super Bowl rings and is widely considered the greatest coach in league history is reportedly set to become a major media star in his first season without a coaching job since 1974.

In January, Belichick parted ways with the New England Patriots, the team he led to six Super Bowl titles and nine SB appearances between 2002 and 2019, after a 4-13 record, the worst of Belichick's long career. At one point, Belichick appeared to be on the verge of becoming the Atlanta Falcons' next head coach, but whether Patriots owner Robert Kraft persuaded Falcons owner Arthur Blank to not hire Belichick or not, the longtime Pats coach went without landing any of the vacant jobs around the NFL.

While Belichick was left without a proverbial chair when the music stopped, The Athletic is reporting that Belichick is primed to make millions by embracing one of the aspects of his coaching career for which he was more infamous than famous: media. Very likely by design, Belichick was often bland, short, and sometimes combative with the Boston media. But his knowledge and love for football is undeniable, which could be more than enough to make him a media superstar.

“In his transition from the sidelines, Belichick, the longtime New England Patriots coach, will make millions with an anticipated recurring role with the Manning brothers on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli,” a book deal, a potential inside football show and possibly a podcast, executives briefed on his plans told The Athletic,” Andrew Marchand's reports.

Belichick will appear on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday as part of McAfee's NFL Draft coverage, but that will likely just be the beginning for Belichick.

“As Belichick’s full plans come into focus, the exact amount he will make is unknown, but it will be well into the millions, according to those briefed on his current and anticipated deals,” Marchand wrote. “His book deal advance is expected to be well into the seven figures, according to media executives and publishing sources briefed on his negotiations.”

Why isn't Bill Belichick still coaching?

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick

Even for successful NFL head coaches, Bill Belichick is extraordinary. In 24 years as Patriots head coach, Belichick hoisted the Lombardi Trophy six times and won 10 or more games in a season 19 times. Since Belichick became New England's head coach in 2000, the Patriots have missed the playoffs just six times, with half of those coming in the last four years as Belichick attempted to find a suitable replacement for Tom Brady.

While most of that near quarter-century was filled with championships and consistent excellence, the last few years were not. After Brady left the Patriots and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, Belichick could only muster one winning season and playoff appearance: a 10-7 campaign that ended in a 47-17 shellacking by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.

Following a particularly abysmal 4-13 season in 2023, Belichick and the Patriots mutually parted ways, with team owner Robert Kraft and Belichick holding a press conference in January to announce Belichick's departure from Foxborough. For the disappointments that the post-Brady years had, though, Belichick was expected to be a candidate for a few of the NFL job openings.

The Atlanta Falcons, who had fired Arthur Smith after three consecutive 7-10 seasons, were reportedly the most interested party in Belichick's services, evidenced by the team conducting two interviews with him after his New England exit. Atlanta surprisingly decided to go in a different direction, though, hiring former Buccaneers head coach and Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris, who had most recently been the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator.

While not confirmed, Belichick's job with the Falcons may have fallen through due to Kraft. Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham, and Jeremy Fowler reported for ESPN that Kraft spoke with Blank shortly before the Falcons decided on their head coach vacancy.

“But in a conversation with Blank, Kraft delivered a stark assessment of Belichick's character, according to a source who spoke to two people: a close Kraft friend and a longtime Belichick confidant,” the report reads. “The source quoted the Belichick source as saying, ‘Robert called Arthur to warn him not to trust Bill.' That account was backed up, the source said, by the close Kraft friend.

“Multiple sources said that Kraft spoke with ‘some candor' to Blank about Belichick, though the sources declined to elaborate. One source close to Belichick said Kraft ‘was a big part' of why the Falcons passed on hiring him.”

Whether Kraft effectively stopped Belichick from strolling the Falcons' sidelines this season is true or not is unknown, but we all will be seeing a lot more of Belichick on TV very soon.