Kelley: Bill Belichick Will Be an NFL Head Coach in 2025

Bill Belichick served as the New England Patriots head coach for 24 seasons. He “parted ways” with the franchise following a disappointing 4-13 season in 2023. Despite six head coaching positions being available, excluding the Patriots, none of those franchises chose Belichick as their new head coach. But nobody should count him out despite being out of coaching for the first time in 50 years. Bill Belichick will be an NFL head coach again in 2025.

Some speculate that Belichick’s many media jobs for the upcoming season make him less likely to return to coaching. I believe the opposite to be true.

Belichick has at least four major media gigs on his docket for 2024. He agreed to be part of Monday Night Football’s “ManningCast” broadcast. He agreed to be a weekly guest on The Pat McAfee Show. Belichick will be a co-host of Inside the NFL on the CW Network. And this past week, it was announced he would join Underdog Fantasy to break down teams and games each week from a coach’s perspective.

Next Chapter Can Wait

Bill Belichick will be excellent at all of these media jobs. He has proven himself to be incredibly insightful in similar roles in the past. This is true of his work with the NFL Network on the “NFL 100 All-Time Team” series, for which he won a Sports Emmy Award. Belichick’s appearances with “Patriots All Access” on Boston’s WBZ.

The additional free time, less stress, and working on television may all appeal to Belichick. He could opt to remain a media member for the rest of his working life. That seems hard to believe though. Has anyone thought of Bill Belichick as somebody who did not enjoy the grind? We all slow down as we get older, but it feels unlikely for Belichick to be somebody who will slow down without being forced to. Perhaps he didn’t always love dealing with the media or other aspects that game with the job. It is fair to assume that is true based on a large sample size. But Bill Belichick never struck me as somebody who shied away from putting in work.

Media Work Will Help Him Return to Coaching

The public perception of Bill Belichick is not one easily embraced. He is a winner for sure, but not one with a lot of personality. His press conferences are legendary for the lack of enthusiasm displayed. It is almost like people have a hard time perceiving him as a real person. His work in the media this fall will help change public perception. That makes it easier for NFL teams to sell him to their fans as the team’s next head coach.

Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski stated, “I think Coach Belichick may be my new favorite person, ever since the roast.” He was, referencing the Netflix special The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady.

People witnessing Bill Belichick display an incredible football IQ in his new roles is a given. People witnessing him do so with humor and charisma will open up opportunities to return to him being an NFL head coach in 2025.

NFL Head Coaching Jobs Will Be Available

Every NFL franchise convinces themselves they have the right person as their head coaching in August. That number will dwindle significantly between now and next offseason. There are odds available online for the first NFL head coach fired. There is no shortage of candidates, even if most of them survive the regular season. Dennis Allen (Saints), Robert Saleh (Jets), Mike McCarthy (Cowboys), Matt Eberflus (Bears), Todd Bowles (Buccaneers), Brian Daboll (Giants), and Antonio Pierce (Raiders) are among the most popular options.

Maybe a portion of those seven head coaches keep their jobs but it is unlikely they all do. On average, there will be about that many openings for head coaches next year, even if we don’t know the specifics of the openings quite yet. Will all of those teams pass on a head coach with six Super Bowl titles and the most wins in the NFL Super Bowl Era if he is an option?

Belichick Didn’t Want to Stop

The relationship between Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots was beyond compare by the end of the 2023 season. At least that was true from Robert Kraft’s perspective. As much as the team wished to term the end of their 24-year partnership as parting ways, Bill Belichick got fired. He did not voluntarily stop coaching. He interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons head coach position, which ultimately went to Raheem Morris.

Even if Belichick loves his media work, it is unlikely he likes it enough to throw in the towel on his legendary career. Many might think he has nothing left to prove. He is considered by many to be the greatest NFL head coach to ever live. But highly motivated human beings like Belichick often pay more attention to naysayers than supporters.

Belichick wants to break Don Shula’s career NFL wins record. Shula won 328 regular season games and 347 total, including the postseason. Belichick sits at 302 regular season wins and 333 total victories. Shula called the former Patriots coach “Beli-cheat” and there is no way that Belichick doesn’t remember that and feel a certain way about it. He’d love to knock Shula off the top spot.

Furthermore, Bill Belichick proving he can win without Tom Brady is a narrative he is certainly aware of. Brady left New England and went on to win the Super Bowl with the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Belichick won two Super Bowls as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants but has yet to bring home a Lombardi as a head coach without Brady. Again, it’s a feat that would unquestionably mean something to him.

NFL Teams Will Come Knocking

Bill Belichick’s media appearances this fall will increase his popularity with fans throughout the NFL. Owners of NFL franchises attempt to appease their fans. There will be enough pressure from fans in a certain market to get the team to pull the trigger on hiring Belichick. The guess here is that there will be multiple job offers on the table, with Belichick taking the one he believes gives him the best opportunity to pass Shula and win a seventh Super Bowl as a head coach.

Football fans should enjoy the time they get to enjoy Bill Belichick openly talking football in the fall of 2024. After this season he will be back patrolling an NFL sideline, where he wants to be. His press conference demeanor may soften a bit in 2025 but his dedication to winning football games will not. Belichick will make some NFL franchise, and their fanbase, very happy when he reemerges with recharged batteries and a slightly altered outlook on the job at hand. In the interim, I will soak up the knowledge Belichick shares through his media appearances, and suggest all football fans do the same.