National Football League

Bill Belichick to the Dallas Cowboys? Odds, insights

Published Jan. 16, 2024 1:49 p.m. ET

By Will Hill
FOX Sports NFL Betting Analyst

The Cowboys’ humiliating 48-32 loss to the Packers on Sunday stunned the football world, and raised questions over the future of head coach Mike McCarthy.

Those questions, unfortunately for McCarthy, could be answered in the form of six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick.

So, what do the odds say?

BetMGM currently has Atlanta as the favorite to land Belichick at +250 since he just interviewed there on Monday.

DraftKings Sportsbook doesn't have Dallas listed among the favorites to land the legendary coach, probably because McCarthy is still in the fold. However, "Any other NFL team" is currently listed at +125, and that offering includes the Cowboys.

The Cowboys have gone 12-5 in three straight regular seasons but are creeping up on three decades since last playing in an NFC title game. The team only has one playoff victory under McCarthy, despite that gaudy 36–15 regular-season record.

The loss Sunday wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated, as it was 48-16 until the Cowboys found the end zone twice in garbage time and added a pair of two-point conversions to make the score look more respectable.

Let’s not kid ourselves: It was the kind of loss that gets a coach fired.

When Tom Brady and the Patriots went their separate ways after the 2019 season, Brady found the perfect partner. The Buccaneers had a very good defense and outstanding skill-position players, and they just needed to plug in the quarterback. Nearing the end of his career, Brady needed a ready-made team and didn’t have time for a rebuild.

And it worked, as Tampa Bay won a Super Bowl and made the playoffs all three seasons before Brady retired.

Could Bill Belichick replace Mike McCarthy if Cowboys fire head coach?

This Cowboys situation could be Belichick’s "Brady to Tampa Bay" opportunity, should the job open up. The team is very good, and the offense is explosive. Belichick can walk in, win immediately and use his postseason experience to put this franchise over the top.

Many will say Belichick can’t coexist with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and perhaps that’s the case. But Bill Parcells, towards the end of his career, coached the Cowboys for four years, turning them into a winner.

This is the best situation for Belichick of all the potential openings. The Chargers, it seems, would prefer to hire Jim Harbaugh, and the Falcons, Panthers and Commanders don’t have a franchise quarterback.

Belichick is smart enough to know the Cowboys are his best and maybe only realistic chance to win one last Super Bowl. Like Brady was, Belichick is too old for a rebuild and needs a ready-made team.

If Jerry Jones and Belichick each want one more ring, they will have to team up to get it.

Will Hill, a contributor on the Bears Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.