NFL
Will Bill Belichick coach in the NFL this season? What coaches are in the hot seat after week 4?
The six-time Super Bowl champion has not taken a coaching role since leaving the Patriots in 2023 but could be tempted back into the game.
Four weeks into the 2024 NFL season, we’re now starting to get a sense of the direction of travel for teams. The early-season form of the Minnesota Vikings has underlined their postseason potential, while Josh Allen has led the Buffalo Bills to the top of the AFC East.
On the flip side there are already some teams, and some head coaches, who are under pressure after struggling in the early weeks. Usually, October would be too early for ownership to consider a change of the head coach, but there is a looming figure that threatens the position of every under-fire coach in the league.
Six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick has been without a job since leaving the New England Patriots at the end of the 2023 season. The NFL veteran, now 72, has been an active media presence this season, covering the 2024 NFL Draft and becoming an analysist for ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show and Manningcast alongside Peyton and Eli Manning.
But despite that new direction, Belichik confirmed earlier this year that he still considers himself an active NFL coach. Due to his advancing age it’s fair to assume that any return would have to come fairly soon. With a handful of head coaches starting to feel the pressure this season, here’s three possible landing spots for Belichick...
Could Bill Belichick return to the New York Jets?
Nearly 25 years on from his infamous one-day stint in charge, could Belichick be the man to bring the Jets back to the top table? One of the key considerations for Belichick would be the quarterback - he’s unlikely to want the onerous task of blooding a rookie QB - and the presence of Aaron Rodgers could make the Jets a tempting proposition.
The Jets have gone 2-2 so far this season but a losing run could see the pressure on head coach Robert Saleh rise quickly. It would certainly make headlines and Belichick could prove to be the perfect short-term head coach to help a short-term quarterback deliver one final triumph.
Is Nick Sirianni under pressure at the Philadelphia Eagles?
Just two years on from leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl, the tide has certainly turned on head coach Nick Sirianni. The chaos of 2023 has cast doubts over his ability to get the best out of a talented team, a question best evidenced by Jalen Hurts’ shaky start to the new season.
Over the off-season there were reports linking Belichick with the Eagles and owner Jeffrey Lurie is no stranger to a big move in the coaching department. It was he who finally lured Chip Kelly out of the college game with a bumper five-year deal and he’ll be eager to ensure that this stacked Eagles team is competitive once again.
Could Bill Belichick become head coach of the Dallas Cowboys?
Is it possible? The most successful NFL coach of all time coming out of his hiatus to take charge of ‘America’s Team’. It would certainly provide the high-profile status that Belichick will expect and he would relish the opportunity to restore the Cowboys to past glories.
Head coach Mike McCarthy has made a solid, if unspectacular start (2-2) to the new season but is now in the final year of his contract. If he’s unable to take the team deep into the playoffs the Cowboys may well have a coaching vacancy ahead of 2025 and Belichick, fresh from a year away, would be a top candidate to replace him.
A Belichick-Cowboys move would also make sense for Jerry Jones, the team owner. Now in his early 80s, Jones has not seen his team make the Super Bowl in three decades. Having spent big to tie down Dak Prescott to the franchise, he will be desperate to have another crack at a championship with a lavishly assembled team.