c/o Chicago Tribune
The career of one of Wesleyan’s most famous alumni took an unexpected turn this winter, as Bill Belichick ’75 ended his 24-year tenure as head coach of the New England Patriots due to a “mutual parting of ways” with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. At Wesleyan, Belichick was a tri-sport athlete, competing in football, squash, and lacrosse, while majoring in economics. He was an offensive lineman on the football team, and a captain of the lacrosse team during his senior year. Even those students who are not football fans may still recognize his name engraved in the Belichick Plaza section of the Freeman Athletic Center, which was donated to the school in his name.
During his run with the Patriots, Belichick established himself as one of the most successful head coaches in National Football League history. He currently holds six Super Bowl titles to go along with his 302 wins, only 26 shy of the all-time record held by Don Shula. His coaching style emphasized the importance of the defensive and special teams units, and prioritized team over individual success. He also developed a reputation for his pragmatic attitude towards coaching, popularizing the slogan “Do Your Job” and often giving short and straightforward answers to media questions.
Despite his history of coaching championship-level football teams, it appears Belichick will not be a head coach in the NFL next season. At the time of writing, all 32 NFL head coaching spots are filled, and it seems unlikely that Belichick would relegate himself to the defensive coordinator role that he worked early in his career. So what’s next for the 71-year-old Belichick? We explore some of his potential future options below:
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are currently led by head coach Mike McCarthy and are perennial playoff contenders. However, coming off the heels of an embarrassing wild card round exit to the seventh seed Green Bay Packers by way of giving up 48 points—which extended the Cowboys’ 28-year streak of failing to reach the Super Bowl—McCarthy is on the hot seat. Owner Jerry Jones has entertained questions about a possible future changing of the guard, saying of Belichick in a recent interview with Yahoo Sports, “There’s no doubt in my mind we could work together.”
If the Cowboys are looking to tighten up on the defensive front to avoid another playoff implosion, Belichick is their man. There’s no doubt Belichick’s potential hiring would also shake up the football world and bring a large spotlight to the team; one of the greatest franchises in league history teaming up with a legendary coach looking to achieve former glory would certainly make headlines. And if Jones is serious about going “all in” next season as he has professed, a major defensive coordinator offer to Belichick is not out of the picture, as their former coordinator, Dan Quinn, is now the head coach of the Washington Commanders.
One possible source of difficulty in this partnership (aside from the fact that McCarthy is still the Cowboys’ head coach for the time being) rests in the general manager position. Belichick essentially served as GM during his two-decade Patriots tenure, heading their trade, draft, and free agency decisions. However, Jones has been making those decisions for the Cowboys since the 1980s, and is unlikely to relinquish these powers. While the Cowboys have issues of their own to figure out in the meantime, if they find themselves at a crossroads next off-season, Bill Belichick may be the answer.
Boston College (BC)
Despite being the least likely of the three options, coaching college football after a successful NFL career is not completely unheard of (think Jim Harbaugh). And at least from a logistical standpoint, the move makes sense. BC’s head coach, Jeff Hafley, was recently hired away to become the new defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Going to Boston College would hardly be a move for Belichick, as Gillette Stadium, home of the Patriots, is already close by. Furthermore, Belichick has connections at Boston College through Patriots owner Robert Kraft (assuming that bridge has not already been burned), who is on their Board of Trustees. This move remains a long shot, though. While BC is a Power Five FBS school, they do not rival the level of past success and popularity that allowed Michigan to snatch up NFL coaching talent such as Harbaugh. At this point in his career, coaching BC would be a true “for the love of the game” move from Belichick. But who knows? Crazier things have happened in the football world.
Retirement/Media Personality
While Belichick certainly wishes to surpass Shula’s wins record and achieve more glory as an NFL head coach, the reality of the current coaching landscape simply may limit him from doing that, at least for the time being. He is also at an age where many would simply choose to retire. However, Belichick’s love for the game would suggest that he would like to remain close to football in one way or another. In that case, an abundance of TV networks would love to have Belichick on as an analyst. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest football minds of any generation, and he possesses detailed knowledge on schemes and rules unknown even to the most dedicated fans. His personality is unconventional for an analyst, which has the potential to gain him numerous fans, though it also might give him some detractors. His boldness could result in much more interesting content than the usual analyst banter, but could also create some potentially awkward situations. Nonetheless, most football fans would likely tune into a program with Bill Belichick on the analyst desk.
Silas Bishop can be reached at sbishop@wesleyan.edu.
Jeremy Gold can be reached at jkgold@wesleyan.edu.