Report: Bill Belichick inquired about New York Jets HC vacancy before taking UNC job

Bill Belichick reportedly inquired about the New York Jets head coaching vacancy before ultimately taking the same position at North Carolina.

The Athletic reported that there was contact between the two parties, and a later report by the New York Post noted that it was Belichick himself who reached out to the Jets.

CBS Sports lead NFL writer Jonathan Jones added some context to the situation, adding that the Jets told Belichick that “the team was just getting their search started.” No meeting between Belichick and the Jets took place, per The Athletic’s initial report.

The history is obvious, as Belichick served on the Jets staff from 1997-1999 under Bill Parcells. Belichick infamously stepped down from the staff on the day after he was announced to be taking over for Parcells, who was stepping away from football at the time.

Instead, Belichick went ahead and took the vacant job at North Carolina.

Now, Belichick will enter the college football space having taken a year off of coaching. Before that, of course, he was the head coach for the New England Patriots where he famously won six Super Bowls alongside Tom Brady. He has eight rings overall. Considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport, Belichick compiled a 302-165 record as an NFL head coach.

His ties to North Carolina run deep. Belichick’s father, a longtime coach at Navy, served as a coach at North Carolina in the 1950s. Now, he’ll look to carve out his own legacy in Chapel Hill beginning in the 2025 season.

However, Belichick’s interest in the New York Jets vacancy shows that the former Patriots head coach is still interested in coaching at the NFL level.

His contract buyout reduces to $1 million from $10 million after June 2025, meaning an NFL team would only need to pay that total if they were to hire him away from Chapel Hill. While it remains to be seen, that stipulation helps leave the door open for an NFL return in the future.