Bill Belichick may be calling plays in Chapel Hill these days, but the NFL spotlight hasn’t drifted far from him.
The six-time Super Bowl champion turned college head coach notched his first victory at North Carolina this past weekend.
Yet, his name is already back in circulation as a possible candidate for NFL jobs, and one potential destination carries plenty of intrigue.
On his Colin Cowherd Podcast, Colin Cowherd dismissed the idea that Belichick could reinvent himself as a college figurehead.
“Bill Belichick is a pro coach,” Cowherd said. “He is much more ROTC than NIL. He is right, he doesn’t pander. He doesn’t have time for small talk and that’s what college football is.”
After watching North Carolina stumble to a 48-14 loss against TCU in its opener, Cowherd felt validated. And with Miami head coach Mike McDaniel already under pressure following a 33-8 loss to the Colts, Cowherd didn’t hesitate when John Middlekauff floated a hypothetical replacement.
“Listen, what about Belichick?” Cowherd said. “Got a place in Jupiter, doesn’t he? I mean, Miami loves sex appeal. All their teams do. I will tell you this. I don’t think he’s built for college. I said this before. I mean, he and Mike Lombardi, they’re NFL guys. I mean, he can’t draft. How can he recruit? I don’t know.”
Revenge and a familiar foe
The thought of Belichick in Dolphins aqua brings with it a tantalizing subplot. For two decades, he tormented Miami as the mastermind of New England Patriots‘ dynasty.
Now, the possibility of him staring down the Patriots twice a year carries a certain revenge factor.
“Bill would have to be pretty intrigued if the owner wanted him because he’d get to play the Patriots, right? He clearly despises. So, yeah, maybe I just think he’s going to go after a big name,” Middlekauff noted.
Miami, valued at $8.25 billion according to CBS Sports, has the financial muscle and profile to lure him back to the pro ranks if it decides to move on from McDaniel.
Belichick‘s shadow also continues to hang over his old franchise. Mike Vrabel‘s debut as Patriots head coach ended in a 20-13 home loss to the Raiders, drawing inevitable comparisons to his predecessor.
“It’s clear that I’m not welcome there around their facility,” Belichick said after the Tar Heels‘ win over Charlotte. “And so they’re not welcome at ours. It’s pretty simple.”
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