Imagine the size of the napkin it would take for Bill Belichick to write an apology letter to the Jets.
Before being hired as the head coach at North Carolina last week, Belichick contacted the Jets and expressed interest in the head coaching vacancy, a source told The Post's Brian Costello.
This expands on a story first reported by The Athletic on Saturday that there was contact between Belichick and the Jets, but no formal interviews, meetings or conversations took place.
A marriage between the Hatfields and the McCoys in the 1800s seemed more likely than a reunion between Belichick and the Jets up until then.
Since January 4, 2000, the day he was supposed to be introduced as the Jets' head coach, Belichick has made it his mission to torment and mock the Jets.
That day, Belichick wrote a simple resignation letter on a napkin: “I resign as head coach of NYJ,'' and the press conference turned into a circus, as Belichick had an old agreement to succeed Bill Parcells with the late former owner Leon Hess. It infamously ended when it was changed to . And not the next Woody Johnson.
The Jets traded Belichick to his preferred destination, the Patriots, creating one of the most lopsided rivalries in sports history.
That Belichick would even consider working for Johnson and the Jets again so many years later speaks to the doubts he had when he was brilliantly recruited by UNC. Interest in the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach has been lukewarm to nonexistent in the NFL.
When the Jets first fired manager Robert Saleh and promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on an interim basis in October, Belichick criticized Johnson during an appearance on ESPN's “Manning Cast.” .
“That's kind of what happened with the Jets,” Belichick said. “We've hardly ever won more than 30 percent (of our matches) in the last 10 years. The owner is the owner. Ready, fire, aim.”
Just a few weeks later, Belichick called the Jets to gauge their interest in his services.
And the Jets said no.
