Belichick Lieutenant Lombardi Takes Shot at Jaguars

Bill Belichick's newest general manager Michael Lombardi took an out-of-nowhere shot at the Jacksonville Jaguars this week.

Dec 22, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Cleveland Browns general manager Mike Lombardi during the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY

New University of North Carolina general manager Michael Lombardi is already taking potshots at the NFL -- in particular the Jacksonville Jaguars.

One day after North Carolina came to terms with Bill Belichick as their new head coach, Belichick's general manager and long-time lieutenant made an unprompted comment aimed at the Jaguars' lack of recent success.

"If you want to play for the greatest coach of all time ... please enter the portal, we'll take you."

New UNC football GM Michael Lombardi with a message to college football players on the @PatMcAfeeShow. pic.twitter.com/lMZf80IvnO

— ESPN (@espn) December 12, 2024

"Well, if you want to play for the greatest coach of all time and you want to be around a winning program, please enter the portal. We’ll take you. We’re going to go through it deeply. This is an advertisement for it," Lombardi said on The Pat McAfee Show, "We’re going to go deep into it because we’re going to rebuild the team, and I think it’s important. I don’t think it’s just about — this is team building. This isn’t adding players, right? We’re going to systematically and strategically build the team the right way so that we have sustainable success, so that you can compete at the highest level of college football. I think that’s really important.

"I think everybody makes too much about the cap. Certainly the players deserve to get paid, but more into the cap, there’s two things that involve the cap. It involves, how do we develop players to become good players, and how do we pay the players that already are good players? So there is two systems that are going on simultaneously and you need a head coach like coach Belichick who understands that. Player development is the key to salary cap. We’ve seen this. The Jacksonville Jaguars have done this for years. They buy players, they haven’t won enough games. You have got to develop your own players from within."

This is the second time during the Belichick/UNC marriage that Lombardi has taken an odd shot at the Jaguars. Last week, Lombardi opined that there are a lack of great jobs in the NFL and indrectly took aim at Tony Khan when stating, "there are sons of owners that run the analytical department."

It is an odd pattern for Lombardi, but it is clearly a stance he has dug his heels in on. The Jaguars have not won many games in their history, but Lombardi should know winning in the NFL is hard. After all, he went 4-12 record in his lone solo stint as a general manager.

Belichick won't be the Jaguars next head coach. And if he is determined to make Lombardi a key part of his regime, then it is clear that maybe he was not the right fit for the Jaguars after all.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.