New England Patriots
“He has only himself to blame, thanks to the bizarre distractions he created in North Carolina over the past year and his open hostility toward his long-time employer in New England.”
The Buffalo Bills are still on the prowl for a new head coach after firing Sean McDermott following nine seasons with the team.
Buffalo has seemingly cast a wide net as it tries to find a new leader who can put a Josh-Allen-led roster over the top — even interviewing former NFL QB Phillip Rivers for the coaching vacancy last week before the former Pro Bowler withdrew his candidacy.
If Buffalo is desperate in its attempts to cash in on Allen’s prime and find avenues to overtake the Patriots in the division, could they turn to Patriots legend Bill Belichick for their coaching gig?
Even with Belichick’s resume as a six-time Super Bowl champion in New England, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on Monday that the Bills aren’t interested in plucking the 73-year-old Belichick from his current gig as the University of North Carolina’s head football coach.
“He’s currently regarded as radioactive by most NFL teams looking for coaches,” Florio wrote. “And he has only himself to blame, thanks to the bizarre distractions he created in North Carolina over the past year and his open hostility toward his long-time employer in New England.
“Any NFL owner who would be inclined to hire Belichick would have to assume that, eventually, some of that same venom will be directed to his next former team.”
Belichick hasn’t received plenty of interest from NFL hiring circles since both he and the Patriots split after the 2023 season, conducting a few formal interviews with the Atlanta Falcons in January 2024 before the team ultimately hired Raheem Morris.
Last week, former Jets and Bills head coach Rex Ryan deemed Belichick as a “name to watch” for the Bills’ job.
“If you can get the greatest coach in the history of our game — and everybody can say it’s passed him by because he doesn’t have Tom Brady — well he’s got a different guy if you get him this [role], and I am telling you I feel strongly about this,” Ryan said on ESPN’s “Get Up” last week.
Belichick — who went 4-8 in his first season as the Tar Heels’ head coach — said last week on ESPN’s “College GameDay” that he was looking forward to another year at Chapel Hill.
“It was great, working with a lot of young players, and I saw a lot of improvement both on and off the field,” Belichick said. “We didn’t really have a recruiting class last year. Lotta new players this year, we’re gonna be in much better shape in terms of having some continuity and building forward through spring ball. I’m excited about that.”
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