Bill Belichick’s foray into College Football essentially came as a surprise across the board. No one expected it. This is evidenced by how abruptly it happened, with very little fervor or reporting preceding it. His future as head coach of the UNC Tar Heels has divided everyone into 2 factions, with some overlapping in between. Sort of like a Venn Diagram. There are those who think he’ll fail at this level. Those who think his acumen of the game will translate to CFB, and those who wish he’ll succeed but remain on the fence. However, the masses are agreeing on one thing in unison- he’ll perpetually be flirting with going back to the NFL.

There’s an underlying yet prevalent belief that Bill Belichick won’t last long in Chapel Hill. Now, his actions do suggest otherwise, to be fair. For starters, He has already hit the road and visited potential recruits. He uprooted his son Steve Belichick from the Washington Huskies to be his defensive coordinator. He has even tagged along long-tenured NFL executive Michael Lombardi as GM of the Tar Heels as he tries to change the fortunes of the program. Despite all this in the affirmative, a few facets of his contractual situation have kept people on edge.

In a sensational revelation that was equal parts damning and shrewd, Bill Belichick was yet to put pen to paper on his UNC contract until now. Belichick had been making all these moves while he wasn’t even contractually obligated. This didn’t help dispel the NFL rumours one bit. Alas, he has finally signed on officially. However, one wrinkle in this contract, which was already floated as a possibility, has now been confirmed. Yes, Belichick is in Chapel Hill for the foreseeable. But he may yet leave before coaching a single game.

Belichick’s UNC contract initially had a $10 million buyout, but this was rather fallacious. This figure drops down to $1 million on June 1st, 2025. Before the NFL and CFB seasons even begin. When this buyout was teased as a stipulation in his un-signed contract, NFL veteran and former assistant to Belichick himself at the Patriots, Chris Simms, reckoned it’s a huge tell-tale sign.

“Starting this June, he can be bought out for couch-cushion change from NFL owners. I mean, come on. A million dollars? Belichick has got a million dollars of cash he could [pull out of] his pocket and pay that off…that alone tells me he doesn’t want to stay there long term.” remarked Simms. Even people who’ve had direct working relationships with him stand bemused at Belichick’s decision to step down a rung on the football ladder.

Since the beginning of this entire ordeal, the Dallas Cowboys have been linked with swooping in, veiled behind the uncertainty of this contract. Now that the buyout has been confirmed, the social media verse naturally went into a frenzy. There is no smoke without fire. People are adamant that this low-ball buyout was put in so that it could be triggered by a desperate Jerry Jones. Or perhaps another owner in that boat. Fans of all persuasions took this sentiment to the comments section of the aforementioned post.

Fans are hypothesizing that Bill Belichick is playing games to keep NFL door open

One person wrote “Does Jerry Jones play the waiting game?…” This will likely not be the case. The Draft takes place in April, and Jerry will want his head coach in place before that. Waiting till June doesn’t seem ideal. However, it’s not like owner/GM Jerry Jones is always making the ideal decision for his franchise. The Cowboys faithful will tell you that first-hand. Another fan shared this notion, saying, “Jerry Jones licking his chops until June 2nd to hire Bill?”

The amount, or lack thereof, for buying out Bill Belichick remained the biggest talking point. One fan possibly agrees that waiting till June isn’t viable. They suggested that Jerry may trigger the entirety of the clause “So, for an NFL team he basically doesn’t have a buyout. Jerry Jones puts $10 million into the parking meter.” they said. “Jerry Jones with 10m of money in the bank suitcase running in,” said another. It’s noteworthy that reporting around the Cowboys suggests they’re closing in on promoting OC Brian Schottenheimer to head coach. However, the reliability of these reports remains up for discernment. 

One fan even suggested Belichick may be headed to a different franchise. “So June 2, he will be an NFL head coach. Since Gayle Benson wants him,” they remarked. The New Orleans Saints owner could definitely do worse than hiring the proverbial GOAT to resuscitate her flailing franchise. One thing is definitive. Till the time Bill Belichick isn’t trudging along the sidelines in UNC’s iconic blue colours, discourse about his exit will be undying.