Tag: Bill Belichick

Dec 14, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach Bill Belichick during half time at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UNC releases Bill Belichick contract: $10M a year, plenty of extras

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Bill Belichick will earn $10 million a year as football coach at North Carolina, with the opportunity to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars more in bonuses.

The university released the 29-page signed contract Thursday, following recent questions as to why the 72-year-old Belichick hadn’t yet signed the deal as rumors of a possible interest in an NFL head-coaching vacancy swirled.

He was hired Dec. 11 and has been hard at work recruiting, already signing 21 players to the roster even before officially signing the deal.

The contract calls for Belichick to pay the school a $10 million buyout if he leaves the Tar Heels before June 1, and $1 million after his first season through the end of the deal.

The university is guaranteeing his contract for only the first three seasons. If he is fired without cause during the last two years of the contract, beginning Jan. 1, 2028, he will receive no payment.

The contract includes a variety of bonuses that coincide with how the Tar Heels play on the field to how well the players perform in the classroom.

An eight-win regular season would bring Belichick $150,000, with each win on top of eight resulting in an additional $50,000 bonus. Winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title would add $300,000 to his pay.

Making the 12-team College Football Playoff would give Belichick a $750,000 jackpot. Reaching the quarterfinals would pay $1 million, with an additional $250,000 for each game won. Should the Tar Heels win the national championship, therefore, Belichick’s CFP bonus would earn him $1.75 million.

Bonuses for team grade-point average begin at $50,000 and rise as the grades do.

The other perks are generous, too.

Among them, the university will pay for Belichick’s membership to the Chapel Hill Country Club, give him $100,000 in relocation fees, supply him and at least 10 staff members with a car, and provide access to a suite at all home and away games.

–Field Level Media

Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to those attending his hiring announcement at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

QB recruit Bryce Baker talks with Bill Belichick, stays with UNC

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Four-star quarterback Bryce Baker, after speaking with new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, will sign with his home-state Tar Heels on Dec. 18, the high school senior told ESPN on Saturday.

Baker verbally committed in June 2023 to North Carolina and then-head coach Mack Brown, who was fired at the end of the regular season. Baker didn’t sign with the Tar Heels during the early signing period Dec. 4-6 and reportedly communicated with Penn State and LSU as UNC searched for its next head coach, which became Belichick on Wednesday. Baker had made an official visit to Penn State on Nov. 30.

A phone call with Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl champion coach during his long, dominant tenure with the New England Patriots, led Baker to stick with UNC. He liked Belichick’s vision as a professional program at the college level.

“Their experience in the NFL is huge,” Baker told ESPN. “They’ve been on the level that I’m trying to get to. I feel like that separates them from a lot of other schools. They want to develop me, and they know the intricacies that will help me get to my goals. I feel like (Belichick) will bring in the right pieces to build around me. They’re going to make me a priority.”

Listed at 6-foot-2 1/2 and 195 pounds, Baker is the No. 80 player in the country, the No. 8 quarterback and the No. 3 player in North Carolina in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2025.

He passed for more than 3,000 yards and 36 touchdowns with four interceptions and six rushing TDs his senior season at East Forsyth High in Kernersville, N.C.

Baker said that after signing, he will enroll at North Carolina in January and play for a coaching staff different from the one to which he initially made his commitment. Belichick, 72, signed a five-year contract with UNC after having no college coaching experience. His 333 wins as an NFL coach (including playoffs) are 15 short of breaking the all-time record held by Don Shula.

“I have to trust that he’ll bring in the right pieces and the right staff to help me out as far as having success,” Baker said. “I want to get developed and be as prepared as possible so when the opportunity comes, I’m ready to seize it.”

–Field Level Media

Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels chancellor Lee Roberts presents a cut off sweatshirt to new head coach Bill Belichick at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick on taking North Carolina job: ‘I didn’t come here to leave’

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Bill Belichick provided a winning quote on Thursday during his introductory press conference as the new head coach at North Carolina.

When asked if the NFL remains an option should he enjoy immediate success in Chapel Hill, Belichick had a quick response.

“I didn’t come here to leave,” Belichick said with a smile.

His quick wit prompted a round of applause from those in attendance.

The Tar Heels are banking on more wins — those that come on the field — during this tenure with the team.

The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach signed a five-year contract with North Carolina, a program that has not won a conference title since 1980.

Belichick’s father, Steve Belichick, was an assistant coach at North Carolina from 1953-55.

Belichick will replace Mack Brown, whom North Carolina fired at the end of the regular season. The Tar Heels (6-6) will play in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28 in Boston.

Belichick, 72, parted ways with the New England Patriots following the 2023 season after 24 years with the franchise. He was out of coaching this year despite interviewing for multiple NFL vacancies last offseason, and has been working multiple roles in the media.

Belichick has 333 wins as an NFL coach (including playoffs) and needs 15 more to break the all-time record held by Don Shula. However, according to reports earlier this week, he was surprised not to hear from the NFL teams with existing vacancies.

It will be his first coaching position at the collegiate level. His son, Steve, is the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington and a prominent role for him at UNC was reportedly a part of his father’s pitch to the Tar Heels. Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch was a former assistant for Bill Belichick, who spent significant time around the Washington program over the past year.

–Field Level Media

After 24 seasons as the New England Patriots' head coach, Bill Belichick is trying his hand as a TV analyst during the 2024 NFL season. He is also currently a candidate to become the next UNC football coach.

Reports: Bill Belichick expected to be named North Carolina coach

Posted on | by Field Level Media

North Carolina is finalizing a deal to name Bill Belichick its new head coach, 247Sports and ABC11 WTVD reported Wednesday.

WTVD reported that the UNC board of trustees is meeting Wednesday to approve the contract for Belichick, who met with the search committee multiple times, the first time coming over Zoom.

He would replace Mack Brown, whom North Carolina fired at the end of the regular season.

Belichick, 72, told The Pat McAfee Show on Monday he’s had conversations with the university leadership and was interested in become head coach of the Tar Heels. The search committee met again with Belichick last week in New York City, according to the 247Sports report.

After 24 seasons with the Patriots and six Super Bowl titles in nine appearances, Belichick was replaced by owner Robert Kraft in New England before the 2024 season.

Belichick needs 14 wins to break the all-time wins record for NFL coaches held by Don Shula. But according to reports earlier this week, he was surprised not to hear from the NFL teams with existing vacancies.

Belichick’s father, Steve Belichick, was an assistant coach at UNC from 1953-55.

–Field Level Media

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson enter the field before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

North Carolina, Bill Belichick intensify contract talks

Posted on | by Field Level Media

One of the NFL’s greatest coaches could be taking his talent to campus after all.

Bill Belichick interviewed with North Carolina to replace Mack Brown as head coach and the two sides are working to iron out details of an agreement, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

Belichick, 72, told The Pat McAfee Show on Monday he’s had conversations with the university leadership and was interested in become head coach of the Tar Heels.

The Tar Heels retained an outside advisory firm to identify coaching candidates to replace Brown, whom they fired at the end of the regular season. North Carolina went 6-6, including 3-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Two other prominent names that were initially in the mix for the North Carolina head coaching job have dropped off. Jon Sumrall has reportedly told Tulane that he plans to stay as head coach of the Green Wave. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, a 2005 graduate of North Carolina, has informed the school he intends to stay with the Steelers.

North Carolina has reportedly also spoken to Army head coach Jeff Monken, whose team was a perfect 8-0 in their first season in the American Athletic Conference and finished 11-1 overall. Monken is also a possibility for the West Virginia head coaching vacancy left by Neal Brown’s dismissal, according to multiple reports.

After 24 seasons with the Patriots and six Super Bowl titles in nine appearances, Belichick was replaced owner Robert Kraft in New England before the 2024 season.

He was a finalist to become head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, but owner Arthur Blank opted for Raheem Morris.

Belichick needs 14 wins to break the all-time wins record for NFL coaches held by Don Shula. But according to reports earlier this week, he was surprised not to hear from the NFL teams with existing vacancies.

–Field Level Media

After 24 seasons as the New England Patriots' head coach, Bill Belichick is trying his hand as a TV analyst.

Report: Talks between Bill Belichick, UNC continue

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Six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick is continuing to explore the head coaching opportunity at North Carolina, ESPN reported Monday, with a resolution expected by the end of this week.

Multiple outlets previously reported that Belichick interviewed with the Tar Heels last week in New York, and according to the Raleigh News & Observer, Belichick “blew them away in the interview.”

However, there are concerns about his age — Belichick is 73 — and the fact that he’s never coached at the college level, per reports.

After he and the New England Patriots agreed to part ways following a 24-year stint, Belichick interviewed for the head job with the Atlanta Falcons, who instead hired Raheem Morris. The North Carolina interview is the first known instance of Belichick showing interest in a college position.

Belichick is expected to draw interest for NFL openings in the upcoming hiring cycle.

The Tar Heels retained an outside advisory firm to identify coaching candidates to replace Mack Brown, whom they fired at the end of the regular season. North Carolina went 6-6, including 3-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Two other prominent names that were initially in the mix for the North Carolina head coaching job have dropped off. Jon Sumrall has reportedly told Tulane that he plans to stay as head coach of the Green Wave. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, a 2005 graduate of North Carolina, has informed the school he intends to stay with the Steelers.

North Carolina has reportedly also spoken to Army head coach Jeff Monken, whose team was a perfect 8-0 in their first season in the American Athletic Conference and finished 11-1 overall. Monken is also a possibility for the West Virginia head coaching vacancy left by Neal Brown’s dismissal, according to multiple reports.

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham expressed optimism regarding the school’s search for their next head coach.

“We are very optimistic of where we are, the interest in our program is just extraordinary, and we’ll get a great coach to lead us. Who can lead us in the next three, five, 10 years? We need somebody that can come in and take us from good to great,” Cunningham said in an in-house interview the school posted online last week.

–Field Level Media

After 24 seasons as the New England Patriots' head coach, Bill Belichick is trying his hand as a TV analyst.

Reports: Bill Belichick interviews for North Carolina job

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick interviewed for the head-coaching job at North Carolina, Inside Carolina and the Raleigh News & Observer reported Thursday.

According to the News & Observer, Belichick “blew them away in the interview,” yet he is not likely to move forward because he is pushing 73 years old and has no experience in the college game.

After he and the New England Patriots agreed to part ways following a 24-year stint, Belichick interviewed for the head job with the Atlanta Falcons, who instead hired Raheem Morris. The North Carolina interview is the first known instance of Belichick showing interest in a college position.

Belichick is expected to draw interest for NFL openings in the upcoming hiring cycle.

The Tar Heels retained an outside advisory firm to identify coaching candidates to replace Mack Brown, whom they fired at the end of the regular season. North Carolina went 6-6, including 3-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“We’ve had a tremendous response of people across the country, of agents calling us, coaches, people calling on behalf of other people that are in the industry,” North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in an in-house interview the school posted online earlier this week.

“We are very optimistic of where we are, the interest in our program is just extraordinary, and we’ll get a great coach to lead us. Who can lead us in the next three, five, 10 years? We need somebody that can come in and take us from good to great.”

–Field Level Media

Bill Belichick smiles during questions at a press conference.

Report: Bill Belichick wants to coach in 2025

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Bill Belichick has plenty to keep him occupied this fall, filling a variety of prominent media roles, from a spot on the Monday night “ManningCast” to a seat on “Inside the NFL.”

But it could be a short stay in these jobs for Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning coach who split with the New England Patriots after the 2023 season.

ESPN reported Sunday morning that Belichick wants to return to coaching in 2025 and is expected to be picky about his destination. Per the report, he wants to return as a head coach if the right job comes open.

Per ESPN, Belichick passed on discussions about plum defensive coordinator or other top roles in the offseason. He is expected to review openings after the 2024 season.

Belichick, 72, has a 302-165 record in 29 regular seasons with the New England Patriots (2000-23) and Cleveland Browns (1991-95).

Including the playoffs, Belichick has 333 career wins, second only to Don Shula’s 347. Belichick, George Halas and Curly Lambeau are the only NFL coaches with six NFL titles.

In Belichick’s 24 seasons in New England, the Patriots won 17 AFC East titles, went to 13 AFC championship games and played in nine Super Bowls.

Belichick and the Patriots split on Jan. 11 after the Tom Brady-less Patriots finished three of the past four seasons with a sub-.500 record.

–Field Level Media

HYANNIS 01/12/24 A pop-up tribute to longtime Patriots coach Bill Belichick along Barnstable Rd in Hyannis on Friday morning after it was announced Jerod Mayo will be the team's new head coach. Steve Heaslip/Cape Cod Times

Bill Belichick gets weekly spot on ESPN’s ‘ManningCast’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Bill Belichick isn’t coaching an NFL franchise this season, but he’ll still be on television screens often during the 2024 NFL season.

Peyton Manning, who with his brother, Eli, hosts the “ManningCast” on ESPN — officially called “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli” — said the coach will appear on every episode during the upcoming season.

“ManningCast” airs as an alternative viewing format for the majority of, but not all, “Monday Night Football” games.

Peyton Manning told “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN on Friday that Belichick will be on the show every week, likely early in the game, to share his expertise.

“That’s the idea, that Bill is going to be a permanent guest on every ‘ManningCast’ show early in the game, probably the first quarter,” Manning explained, “to kind of take people behind the ropes as to what this defense has to do or what the quarterback’s challenges are.”

The Manning brothers have a long history with Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowl games with the New England Patriots. He and the team, which he started coaching in 2000, mutually split after a 4-13 season in 2023.

Peyton and Tom Brady were the preeminent quarterbacks of their era, engaging in a head-to-head rivalry that saw Brady’s Patriots beat Peyton’s Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos 11 times in 17 attempts.

Eli’s New York Giants beat the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl, to conclude the 2007 and 2011 seasons.

Belichick has been coveted for television jobs, and he agreed to join Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions.

“It was an easy pitch to Bill. I said, ‘Bill, we want you to come on. Look, we’d love to go behind the ropes on the defensive side as to kind of what the Eagles are going to have to do to stop Patrick Mahomes, right?’And if you ever run out of things to say, just make fun of Eli, right? That’s always sort of a time-filler,’” Peyton said.

“And Bill doesn’t like Eli. We all know that — two Super Bowls — so it’s just a match made in heaven.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 22, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Belichick joining Pat McAfee for NFL draft-day coverage

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Bill Belichick, known as a man of few words while the head coach of the New England Patriots, apparently is ready to share his thoughts about next week’s NFL draft.

Belichick will be part of the team on “The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular,” to air the opening night of the draft on ESPN+, the host announced Wednesday.

The draft will be held April 25-27 in Detroit.

“I’m looking forward to it,” a relaxed-looking Belichick told McAfee. “Draft weekend’s always an exciting time for everybody — for the teams that are building their teams and for the fans and for everybody involved in it, so you know it’s a great event and, yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing it, you know, from the other side. It will be fun to be in Detroit.”

Belichick, known for his frequent trades during the draft, said he expects to chip in what he knows about draft-day dealing.

“I think I can, you know, give a little insight into maybe what the conversations will be in those rounds,” he said. “I’ve made a few trades.”

Belichick and the Patriots agreed to part ways in January, and he was not hired to fill a vacancy during the 2024 coaching cycle. It is widely anticipated that Belichick, who turned 72 on Tuesday, will wind up working in TV in some capacity this fall.

The architect of six Super Bowl-winning teams in New England, Belichick built a 302-165 career record with the Patriots (2000-23) and Cleveland Browns (1991-95).

–Field Level Media