When it comes to Bill Belichick potentially returning to the NFL, his North Carolina buyout speaks louder than anything anyone can say. That said, the Raiders are not expected to be the destination.
As one source with knowledge of the dynamics between Raiders minority partner Tom Brady and Belichick has explained it, the relationship hasn’t been repaired to the point at which Brady would hire Belichick.
Is it impossible that they’ll fully mend fences? No. Is it likely to happen in the current hiring cycle, given that Belichick would have to eat his words — and someone would have to write a $10 million check to UNC? Also no.
As to the buyout, owner Mark Davis might not be willing to fund it. He has paid buyouts in recent years to Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels, Dave Ziegler, Antonio Pierce, and most recently Tom Telesco.
The initial report from NFL Media indicated that Brady and Belichick spoke, but it avoided saying Brady specifically talked to Belichick about hiring him. As Belichick consigliere Mike Lombardi recently told Pat McAfee, Brady has talked to many people (presumably including Belichick) in order to shape Brady’s first effort to spot and recruit an NFL head coach.
The 2020 divorce between the Patriots and Brady was driven largely by Belichick’s belief that Brady’s best days were behind him. Also contributing to the move was the fact that, after 20 years of dealing with Belichick, Brady had reached his lifetime limit of dealing with a curmudgeon.
And so, while they’ll always share their unprecedented accomplishments in New England, they likely won’t be forging a new partnership in Las Vegas.
That said, Belichick remains in play for the right NFL job at the right time. And with his buyout plummeting from $10 million to $1 million on June 1, 2025, he will hover over the next NFL season. This time, he’ll be coaching football and not just talking about it on multiple different platforms.
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