National Football League

Jimmy Johnson: Bill Belichick 'willing to give up decision-making' to be head coach

Published Feb. 20, 2024 12:27 p.m. ET

Bill Belichick is willing to make some concessions on control in order to get back into the coaching game, according to Jimmy Johnson.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer said that Belichick recently told him he doesn't need to have a similar power structure to what he had in his 24 seasons with the New England Patriots.

"Bill is upfront about it," Johnson, who's also an analyst for FOX Sports, told WQAM 560 AM in Miami. "He said, 'Hey, I don't have to be in charge of everything.' That's what happened up in New England. He kind of fell into that deal, and it's not necessarily that he pushed for it. That's what happened because he was there for so long. He is more than willing to give up the decision-making to the general manager and the personnel people."

Belichick also served as the Patriots' de facto general manager during his tenure in New England, being one of the few coaches to also double as a chief decision-maker in recent memory. But Robert Kraft lent some credence to Johnson's point that Belichick gained more power in New England as time went on. The Patriots owner told reporters after they parted ways with their former coach that it wasn't "until after the third Super Bowl" that Belichick started to get full power over football operations.

The belief that Belichick wanted more control than most head coaches typically get has been speculated as one of the main reasons why the other seven teams with head coaching vacancies this offseason opted not to hire him. Belichick, who turns 72 in April, only interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons for their head coaching vacancy, meeting with the team twice before they hired Raheem Morris.

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Johnson said that Belichick spent a few days with him at his home, and he was surprised that the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach remains unemployed.

"We talked about a bunch of stuff," Johnson said. "He had been with [Bill] Parcells and [Nick] Saban a couple days earlier, and some of these [NFL] owners are a little bit afraid of him. The general mangers and the personnel people in the organizations are really afraid of him because they think if he comes in they are going to lose their jobs. A lot of people working against him as far as getting a job. I was shocked that he didn't get some more opportunities. He'll get opportunities next year."

While Belichick has won the most Super Bowls ever for a head coach, he's still chasing the all-time wins record for a coach. He's 14 shy of Don Shula for the most combined regular-season and playoff wins combined for a head coach.