Bill Belichick has spent a lot of time talking into a microphone about football this season, but he has his sights set higher for next year.
According to The Athletic, Belichick wants to return to coaching in 2025.
“Coaching is in his blood. He wants this,” a person close to Belichick told The Athletic over text.
It’s not a huge surprise that one of the most successful head coaches of all time isn’t ready to hang up his headset, even at 72 years old. Belichick spent 24 largely successful years with the New England Patriots, coaching the Tom Brady-led team to six Super Bowl trophies, nine conference championships, and 30 individual playoff wins. It was a dynasty that ended sharply in 2020 when Brady elected to take his talents to Tampa Bay, though Belichick didn’t part way with the Patriots until Jan. 2024.
Belichick was looking for another head coaching job for the 2024 season, and despite a number of openings, didn’t get far with any of them. So he’s spent the last several months popping up on every football show and podcast you can think of, though his biggest appearances have been on ESPN. He’s been on Pat McAfee’s ESPN show once a week, and he’s regularly appeared on the Manningcast during Monday Night Football.
Belichick’s explosion onto the sports media landscape is reportedly part of his strategy to land another head coaching job next season. By staying front and center, no one will forget him and no one can accuse him of letting the game pass him by.
As for where Belichick will end up, it’s a bit more complicated than good coach + needy team = success. Belichick was both the coach and GM of the Patriots. Every single football decision on that team flowed from him. That model has gone out of style over the last decade, and it could be why Belichick didn’t land a job last offseason. Plus, he’s 72. He wants to coach now, but will he want to when he’s 80? Will he want to take on a team that needs that kind of long term commitment in order to see success?
The only person who knows the answer to those questions is Belichick. And knowing him, he’s not likely to let anything slip until well after he’s made his decision and everyone has moved on. It’s the Belichick way.