347 is the number that Bill Belichick is after. It represents the number of combined regular season and postseason wins by Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula, the current NFL record which has stood since Shula retired in 1995. As things stand right now, Belichick is 18 wins shy of Shula's record, but given how dire things have been in the Patriots organization since Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay in 2020, it's not a sure thing that Belichick will get there. Whether it's by his own doing, deciding the demands of the NFL coaching lifestyle isn't worth it anymore, or if Robert Kraft brings the hammer down, Bill Belichick may be running out of time in New England.
There is good news if you're Belichick: when you're a certifiable NFL genius and six-time Super Bowl champion, you have no shortage of options to continue to stay around the game of football if you really wanted to. And apparently Belichick is not limited to staying down on the sidelines, either. So maybe $20 million is the number Belichick should actually have his sights set on.
Richard Deitsch of The Athletic asked around about what Belichick's value may be if he were to make a John Madden-esque transition to TV. “Maybe $12.5 to 15 million if there is a bidding war,” one anonymous agent told Deitsch. All of three agents that Deitsch spoke with negotiate TV contracts, so this prompt was right in their wheelhouse. “Sean McVay was reportedly offered $20 million per year by Amazon, and we know where Romo is. So if something unforeseen happens and he’s offered a top game analyst job, we would be talking $18 to 20 million,” another agent responded.
Bill Belichick is often panned for his prickly press conference persona, but there are no shortage of examples, like the NFL 100 All-Time Team countdown and the ESPN 30 For 30 “The Two Bills,” where he not only proves he's by far the smartest man in the room, but also the most enthusiastic about the history and intricacies of the game of football. Put Belichick in a situation where he can be himself and talk about the game how he wants to, and he'll thrive. The man delivered a dissertation on the importance of a long-snapper, for goodness sake. If he's stuck in a studio with five other suits, we might get more hard-hitting analysis like, “We're on to Cincinnati.”