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NFL Fans React to Short-Lived Rumors of Bill Belichick's Potential NFL Return

Well, that was fun while it lasted.

Brigid Kennedy

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on Dec 31, 2023.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on Dec 31, 2023. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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For a second there, it seemed like Bill Belichick had the opportunity to do the funniest thing possible.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the newly-appointed coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels had purportedly garnered interest from several coach-less NFL teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders, where former Belichick wunderkind Tom Brady is a minority owner. Before he made the jump to college, it was believed that Belichick had been waiting for an NFL team to call—plus his UNC contract is structured in a way that suggests he hasn't shut the door on rejoining the NFL in the future. So such a report, however speculatory, was immediately of interest. With Brady on the phone and several teams at his feet, would Belichick abandon the Tar Heels ship before he even started, amounting to possibly the funniest bait-and-switch of all time?

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Not long after the original report surfaced, The Athletic's Dianna Russini fired back with another scoop suggesting the rumors were false. "Bill Belichick has no plans to return to the NFL, per sources," Russini, a senior NFL insider, wrote on social media. "I’m told his sole focus is on coaching and recruiting for North Carolina, as he continues building the Tar Heels’ future. He’s recruiting today in New Jersey."

Moreover, a Las Vegas Raiders reporter posted the following not long after: "The sense I'm getting on Raiders/Bill Belichick per sources: The talks were more about Tom Brady picking Belichick's brain on search process/traits, etc, rather than trying to bring him to LV as the head coach."

Well, the rumors were fun while they lasted. And as is the case with any bombshell news, fans had some pretty hilarious reactions to the short-lived speculation—ranging from grieving to indignant to skeptical—to share online. Take a look at some of those below:

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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