Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick became a popular coaching option for the Dallas Cowboys when the team imploded in the Wild Card round on January 14.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently addressed the Belichick speculation — albeit after the team recommitted to head coach Mike McCarthy for 2024. Jones notably highlighted his friendship with Belichick but downplayed any immediate consideration for a head coaching role.
“I know him personally and I like him,” Jones told Yahoo! Sports’ Jori Epstein on Tuesday. “There’s no doubt in my mind we could work together. None. None.”
Belichick became available three days before the Green Bay Packers routed the Cowboys 48-32. The Patriots and Belichick mutually parted ways on January 11 after 24 seasons, nine Super Bowl appearances, and six championships.
#Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones on Bill Belichick:
“There’s no doubt in my mind we could work together. None.”
👀
(h/t @YahooSports)
“I don’t want to get into, for reasons of talking about anybody that I may have talked to that’s been bantered around about coaching,” Jones said. “But I didn’t talk to anybody. I haven’t talked to anybody that is a head-coaching candidate other than my own.”
Belichick’s lone option remains the Washington Commanders, which haven’t interviewed him. The Seattle Seahawks hired Mike McDonald on Wednesday, the only vacancy other than the Commanders.
It looks possible that Belichick won’t coach in 2024, but he could in 2025. Belichick is chasing the late Don Shula for the NFL’s all-time wins record and needs 15 wins to break the record.
“I don’t know,” Jones said regarding Belichick’s coaching future. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t speculate.”
Bill Belichick Got Linked to Packers for Defensive Coordinator
While a head coaching job in 2024 looks unlikely for Belichick, WFRV’s Kyle Malzhan floated the idea of him as the Packers’ defensive coordinator — the team that knocked out Jones’ Cowboys.
“What if [head coach] Matt LaFleur and the #Packers did the unthinkable and got Bill Belichick to be the Defensive Coordinator in Green Bay?,” Malzhan wrote on ‘X’, formerly Twitter, on January 25.
It elicited some interesting responses from “what if [late Packers head coach] Vince Lombardi rose from dead to coach the d-line?” to LaFleur needing to step aside to offensive coordinator so that Belichick could take over as head coach. The Packers are still searching for a defensive coordinator as are many teams, but the Patriots took care of that area last week with the promotion of DeMarcus Covington.
Commanders ‘Unlikely’ to Hire Bill Belichick
It’s down to Washington or no one in 2024 for Belichick, and the Commanders look “unlikely to go in that direction” according to team sources via FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano.
“They have concerns about everything from Belichick’s age [71] to his willingness to work under a GM who will have control over personnel, to whether he’d even want to take on what could be a years-long rebuilding job,” Vacchiano wrote.
In addition, the Commanders don’t seem interested in another former Patriots great — Mike Vrabel, whom the Tennessee Titans fired after the season. Vrabel played linebacker under Belichick and became a head coach after his playing days where he led the Titans to 54-45 mark and three playoff appearances in six seasons.
Vacchiano noted that an NFC personnel executive said it’s “a real mystery” plus “ridiculous” that the Commanders haven’t shown interest in Vrabel.
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Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Breaks Silence on Bill Belichick Interest