There will be a Bill Belichick-sized shadow in the NFC East this season.
After being shut out of a coaching job this offseason after parting ways with the Patriots, Belichick told “confidants” he was interested in potentially leading the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles. According to ESPN.
Among those teams, one of Belichick’s friends told the outlet he believes the Cowboys are Belichick’s only path back to a head coaching role.
Belichick reportedly told those close to him that he plans to have at least one interview during the next coaching hiring cycle.
“I don’t think Bill Belichick will ever be a head coach in the National Football League again,” the friend said. “Unless it is, [for] Jerry Jones. ”
The fact that Belichick is eyeing three of the four teams in the NFC East is especially interesting since it’s fair to say that these three teams face important seasons in 2024.
Let’s start with the Giants, who are entering a crucial third year in the Brian Daboll/Joe Schon system.
The Giants made the playoffs during the 2022 season, but suffered some disappointing results in 2023, losing some of the goodwill they had built up in the previous season.
They must decide whether to select a quarterback in this year’s draft, preparing for a potentially franchise-changing pick.
Belichick previously spoke of his love for the Giants after serving as defensive coordinator on two of their Super Bowl-winning teams.
The Cowboys and Eagles were both rumored to be suitors for Belichick this offseason, but ultimately stayed with their respective coaches.
Dallas owner Jerry Jones has decided to retain coach Mike McCarthy after another disappointing postseason, with McCarthy likely to coach this season, the final year of his contract. expensive.
Belichick and Jones have been “friends for decades,” according to ESPN, and Belichick is a good fit for a win-now roster.
The bad blood between Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Belichick could also be a reason why the former coach wants to join Jones in Dallas.
“And Belichick told a friend that he liked the idea of working for Jones and settling for Craft,” according to ESPN’s roster.
Eagles owner Jeff Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman are both said to be Belichick “fans,” and Lurie reportedly asked his confidants about Belichick’s status this offseason.
Belichick would have been interested in that opening, according to ESPN.
Roseman and Belichick had conversations this offseason, but a source told the program that the conversation did not progress to a discussion about joining the Eagles.
ESPN wrote, “The Eagles felt they still had his fastball.”
Ultimately, the Eagles decided to keep coach Nick Sirianni.
Sirianni led Philadelphia to the Super Bowl just two seasons ago, but after a 10-1 start last season ended with a wild-card loss to the Buccaneers, Sirianni precipitated a collapse.
The organization was concerned about how much of an overhaul Belichick would need.
“We’re going to have to do it all over again,” a source told ESPN. “Who would replace him? He doesn’t have a good track record in terms of coach development. They feared he would change everything and everyone. [then] You will have to start from the beginning again. He didn’t ask for those changes, but they felt that if we hired him, we had to give him everything and trust his way. ”
One confidant said he believes Dallas is Belichick’s best path to a job, but the Eagles and Giants appear to be higher on the 72-year-old’s list.
“Belichick has told his top aides that he would consider any openings on teams in the Northeast,” the article said. “That way, key former assistants in the area, like (Matt) Patricia and (Josh) McDaniels, could join him with minimal family disruption. But ultimately It’s not up to Belichick whether he works, where he works, and how much power he has.”
