Belichick reportedly wasn’t considered to be Giants’ next head coach

New England Patriots

Belichick removed himself from consideration for all NFL head coaching gigs on Friday.

By Conor Roche

November 15, 2025 | 4:13 PM

2 minutes to read

While Bill Belichick took himself out of the running for the Giants’ head coach vacancy, he might not have needed to make that statement on Friday.

Belichick “was never on [the Giants’] radar” to replace Brian Daboll as New York’s next head coach, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Saturday. 

Shortly after Daboll was fired as the Giants’ head coach on Monday, Belichick was quickly speculated to be a top candidate for the job. He came to prominence as a coach during his time with the organization in the 1980s, helping the Giants win two Super Bowl titles over his six-year tenure as defensive coordinator (1985-90).

“I have great respect and genuinely care for the New York Giants organization and both the Mara and Tisch families,” Belichick wrote in his statement on Friday. “The New York Giants played an important role in my life and in my coaching journey. It was a privilege for me to work for the Mara family and be a member of Coach [Bill] Parcells’ staff for over a decade.”

In the same statement, Belichick said he wasn’t going to pursue any NFL gig this offseason and would remain focused on his job at UNC

As Belichick mentioned, the Mara family still has an ownership share in the Giants as they were the majority owners of the franchise when he was with the organization. Shortly after Belichick left, the Tisch family bought a 50 percent share of the Giants’ organization.

Russini’s report didn’t state why the Giants wouldn’t consider Belichick for their head coach opening. However, he’ll be 74 when the 2026 NFL season begins, which would make him the second-oldest person to coach a game in NFL history.

Of course, Belichick also stumbled in his final seasons with the Patriots. He went 29-36 in the four seasons after Tom Brady left the franchise, going 4-13 in 2023 before the Patriots parted ways with him.

Belichick was able to land a head coach interview with the Falcons shortly after his dismissal from the Patriots in January 2024. But that’s the only head coach interview he’s had with an NFL team since the Patriots relieved him of his duties.

Now at North Carolina, Belichick had a rocky first season as a college head coach. Following an offseason full of off-field drama, the Tar Heels got out to a 2-5 start, losing their first three games against power conference opponents by at least 25 points.

But Belichick’s Tar Heels are on a two-game winning streak ahead of Saturday’s game against Wake Forest. UNC also seems to be building some momentum in the recruiting trail. It has the 16th-best recruiting class as part of the Class of 2026, per 247 Sports, recently flipping a four-star prospect from Penn State.