Surprising Bill Belichick UNC Revelation Raises Hope for Switch to Cowboys Job

After Bill Belichick was fired by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, after 24 seasons as head coach of the team and six Super Bowl trophies in nine appearances, the expectation around the NFL was that the legendary coach would have little trouble finding a new job at the helm of a different NFL franchise. That did not happen. Belichick spent the NFL season as a football analyst for various media outlets, in fact becoming a near-ubiquitous presence on NFL-related programming.

That all changed on December 11 when Belichick found a new job in football — but not the one most football experts were expecting. At age 72, Belichick went back to college — sort of. Belichick accepted the job as head coach for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels football program. The move was a shock for a number of reasons, including the fact that Belichick had been continuously employed in the NFL since 1975 when he signed on as a lowly special assistant for the Baltimore — yes, Baltimore — Colts.

He had never coached college football. In fact, he never even played in a major college program, spending his undergraduate years as a center for Division III Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he also played on the squash and lacrosse teams.

Surprising Fact About Belichick’s UNC Contract

Now, about five weeks after Belichick committed to coach UNC, a surprising new revelation casts doubt on his intention to follow through with the Tar Heels head coach job, and raises the possibility that he may look to add to his 29 years of NFL head coaching experience — including five with the Cleveland Browns before coming to New England — with the Dallas Cowboys.

A report published Thursday and written by Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports revealed that Belichick has not yet put pen to paper on his contract to coach in Chapel Hill.

Under the conditions set out in a “Term Sheet” — in effect, a proposal for contract terms — by UNC, Belichick must pay $10 million to the university if he leaves the head coach’s job prior to June 1, 2025, which would seem necessary if he were to change his mind and take an NFL job.

“There is not a fully executed and signed contract between Belichick and UNC, sources told CBS Sports — and the school confirmed — this week. Industry sources say that could create a legal gray area about how much, if any, of a buyout would exist if Belichick left for the pros,” Jones wrote.

Belichick despite being on the job for a month at UNC has been slow to hire assistant coaches and other members of his staff, causing a case of nerves among UNC officials, according to a New York Post report.

Jerry Jones Says Belichick Has ‘Gas Left in His Tank’

They may have good reason to feel nervous. After Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy after five years, and a 7-10 finish out of the playoff picture in 2024, longtime NFL insider journalist Ed Werder says that Jones may make a play to lure Belichick to the Cowboys.

“There is one move Cowboys owner Jerry Jones can make that will demonstrate he’s fully committed to winning at any cost, willing to spend for the best in coaching and capable of relinquishing organizational control to do so,” Werder, who now reports for Dallas TV station WFAA, wrote on Friday. “Pay the $10 million buyout and hire Bill Belichick, who has the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history.”

Jones has not said publicly that he would seek to hire Belichick, but the 82-year-old owner has made a number of admiring comments about the former Patriots coach in recent weeks. In December, Jones said during an interview, “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.”

As for Belichick, he has not commented publicly on the UNC-Dallas situation, but his longtime associate Mike Lombardi who will serve as Belichick’s general manager at UNC, attempted to shut down speculation this week, writing on social media, “The NFL isn’t an option so stop making it one.”

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