National Football League

The race for Bill Belichick? Five best fits for teams with coaches on hot seat

Updated Oct. 8, 2024 1:15 p.m. ET

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Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

[Editor's note: This piece has been updated with news of the New York Jets firing head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8.]

It’s probably too early for an NFL team to fire a head coach. It’s too early for most teams to even think about firing their coach.

But it’s got to be hard not to at least think about it when Bill Belichick is available.

The 72-year-old former Patriots coach is the biggest name looming over all the struggling head coaches in the NFL this season. He has made it known that he wants to coach again. And it’s a good bet someone will give him a chance. His name, his 333 wins, and his six Super Bowl rings as a head coach will probably be too alluring for someone to pass up.

But which team will make a move for him first?

Four weeks into this NFL season, the race for Belichick is probably already on. But there are a few things to know for any owner who makes that call:

1. It’s hard to imagine Belichick joining any team midseason. He’s going to want to install new systems, hire a new staff, and completely change the philosophy of whatever program he takes over. That can’t be done on the fly.

2. He’s not going anywhere where he has to groom a young quarterback. He experimented with that from 2021-23 with Mac Jones, and that was a disaster. Come to think of it, he hasn’t been able to groom a young quarterback since that Tom Brady guy back in 2001.

3. Not to be indelicate, but he’s old. He’s already was the fifth-oldest head coach in NFL history, and he’d jump to third if he was hired tomorrow. If he’s hired next season and is still coaching on Nov. 2 he’ll be the oldest NFL head coach ever. So he’s not taking on a rebuilding project. He’s going somewhere where he’ll have a franchise quarterback and a belief that the team is in place to win right now.

That doesn’t leave a lot of options. But there are five teams currently struggling and badly underachieving, who might just benefit from Belichick’s genius. If nothing else, his shadow is likely to hover over the sidelines of these five franchises for most of the rest of this year:

New York Jets: Seems crazy that the infamous "HC of the NYJ" would come to the franchise’s rescue nearly 25 years after the end of his hilarious one-day tenure, right? Maybe, but keep in mind that Woody Johnson was still a week away from owning the Jets when Belichick quit on them, and at least some things have changed since then. Also, Belichick is known for holding grudges, and what better way to get back at Robert Kraft for not bringing him back than to go coach for his intra-division rival?

It's a lock Johnson will at least consider this wildly bold move now that he’s fired Robert Saleh five games into the season. The Jets are historically an attention-starved organization that feels like second-class citizens in their own city, so making a move that puts the eyes of the football world on them would be right on brand. And if it seems desperate — well, they haven’t won a Super Bowl in 55 years, so …

There are obstacles, of course. Belichick would surely want some measure of control, which could be a problem for general manager Joe Douglas — though he’s on a pretty hot seat anyway. Also, don’t underestimate Aaron Rodgers’ love for offensive coordinator Nathanial Hackett. He’s not going to want (or allow?) a new head coach to fire his old friend, regardless of the results.

But if they can work it out, Belichick could be an outstanding short-term fit for a team with a short-term quarterback and short-term goals. It would also generate the kind of headlines in New York that Johnson loves.

Robert Saleh had a record of 20-36 before being fired by the Jets. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Jacksonville Jaguars: It’s starting to feel like when, not if, Doug Pederson gets fired even though he’s early in his third season with the Jags. Things looked so good when they were 8-3 heading into December last year. Since then, even though he’s got a supposed franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and lots of talent on both sides of the ball, they’ve gone 1-9, including 0-4 to start this season.

And while Jacksonville might not be Belichick’s dream destination, Jags owner Shahid Khan isn’t averse to taking a big financial swing. After all, he’s the one that once lured Urban Meyer out of college for a five-year deal reportedly worth somewhere between $50 and $60 million. Belichick would obviously be a better choice and bring some star power to a market that is one of the NFL’s worst and some toughness and discipline to a team that clearly needs it.

Don’t be shocked if Khan’s pursuit begins sometime soon.

Doug Pederson is 18-20 as head coach of the Jaguars. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)

Philadelphia Eagles: Yes, Nick Sirianni is less than two years removed from taking the Eagles to the Super Bowl, but a lot has happened since then. His coaching staff was a disaster last season and his own coaching decisions have been pretty questionable this year. Most importantly, quarterback Jalen Hurts has become a turnover machine and the Eagles (2-2) are 3-8, including a blowout loss in the playoffs, since last December.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie reportedly looked into Belichick last offseason, so if things continue to go awry in Philly it makes sense that he’d do it again. He’s also not averse to making a big swing. He’s the one who once lured Chip Kelly out of college with a then-astronomical five-year, $32.5 million deal.

One thing is certain: The Eagles’ front office believes they have a team built to win a Super Bowl. If Sirianni can’t get it done, they’re going to do whatever is necessary to find someone who can.

Nick Sirianni has a 36-19 record, including three trips to the playoffs, with the Eagles. (Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

Dallas Cowboys: Everything about this makes sense. It’s about as high-profile a job as Belichick will find. It comes with a franchise quarterback and a Lawrence Taylor-like defensive player in Micah Parsons. They were good enough to win 12 games each of the last three years. Belichick’s old friend, Bill Parcells, can tell him how to work with Jerry Jones. And don’t forget: Mike McCarthy is coaching in the final year of his contract, so there likely will be an opening this winter if the Cowboys (2-2) don’t turn things around.

It’s such a perfect spot that it’s hard to believe Belichick would say no if he was offered it. But would Jones really do it? He has been painfully patient with coaches in the past. And really, you have to go back to 2003 when he hired Parcells to find the last big swing Jones took at a head coach.

But again, not to be indelicate, but Jones is about to turn 82 and the Cowboys haven’t been to a Super Bowl since he was a youthful 53. The window on this team he’s built is closing. Belichick might be the right guy to prop it open.

Mike McCarthy has gone 44-27, including three playoff appearances, as head coach of the Cowboys. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

New York Giants: He was once supposed to be the heir apparent to the great Bill Parcells, but back in 1991 New York got Ray Handley instead. Would John Mara right what once went wrong, 33 years later, and ask him to save the Giants (1-3)?

It’s hard to completely rule it out. He’s getting pretty tired of all the losing after just three winning seasons in the last 12 years. And he’s always had a soft spot for Belichick who still has friends in the organization after all these years.

But there are some significant caveats here. For one, Mara is pretty embarrassed that he’s cycled through five head coaches in the nine years since he nudged Tom Coughlin out the door, so there’s no guarantee he’ll fire Brian Daboll. For another, general manager Joe Schoen seems relatively safe and Mara likes his organizational structure. Belichick, of course, likely wants some measure of control and has never been one for working with a structure.

And there’s one more issue. As much as Belichick would surely love to ride to the rescue for his old team, if this season becomes a trainwreck for the Giants they’re likely looking at a reset behind a rookie quarterback in 2025. That might not be something Belichick will want to do.

Brian Daboll has a record of 16-21-1 in two-plus seasons with the Giants. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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Ralph Vacchiano