Jerry Jones comments on possibility of Bill Belichick coaching in college next year: 'Got a lot of gas left in his tank'

Bill Belichick remains in talks with North Carolina about becoming its next head football coach and if the two sides strike a deal, it will be the 72-year-old’s first college football job in his five-decade coaching career.

At the same time, Belichick holds the title as the greatest head coach in NFL history. There are currently three head coaching openings around the league: The Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets. Others will soon open — perhaps even the Dallas Cowboys job as Mike McCarthy is out of a contract next season. But should Belichick decide that now is the time to slide over to the collegiate level, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes it could be a slam dunk hire for the Tar Heels.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen a coach available, if you will, with his stature. He’s got a lot of gas left in his tank. A lot. He’s on the game. He’s savvy. He knows the personnel all over the league. There’s no learning curve there,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan, via Jon Machota of The Athletic.

“Bill Belichick could run a major company very effectively. He just has that leadership ability, as well as in this case, no one knows more football or how to execute it and use that to win a ball game than Bill Belichick.”

North Carolina pursuing Bill Belichick for head coach opening

Given Jones’ affinity for Belichick, it does beg the question if he would hire him if he turns down North Carolina in favor of returning to the NFL after a one-year absence. Belichick is an eight-time Super Bowl champion, winning six Lombardi trophies during his 23-year tenure as head coach for the New England Patriots.

After parting ways with the Patriots last year, Belichick took a major step into the media world this season. He appears on the “ManningCast” during the first half and has a weekly spot on “The Pat McAfee Show.” He also does work with Underdog Fantasy and appears on “Inside The NFL” on The CW.

It’s clear now, however, that Belichick wants to get back on a sideline somewhere, whether that’s in the NFL or in college football. Belichick, with 333 regular season and postseason wins as an NFL head coach, is 15 behind Don Shula for the most all-time.

Bill Belichick details what his program would look like ‘if’ he became college football coach

What would a Belichick-led college team look like in the NIL and transfer portal era is the question. During his Monday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick not only confirmed the talks with North Carolina but explained what his vision for the program would be if he took the job.

“If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL,” Belichick said. “It would be a professional program — training, nutrition, scheme, coaching techniques — that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level and an education that would get the players ready for their career after football, whether that was the end of their college career or at the end of their pro career. But it would be geared toward developing the player, time management, discipline, structure and all that.

“I feel very confident that I have the contacts in the National Football League to pave the way for those players that would have the ability to have the opportunity to compete in the National Football League. Whether they’re good enough or not, I don’t know, but they would be ready for it. I don’t have any doubt about that.”