Tom Brady’s Raiders Among Teams That Have Inquired About Bill Belichick

Could the Chapel Bill era at North Carolina already be over?

Brady reportedly reached out to Belichick about the Raiders open head coaching position. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

With Bill Belichick off-and-running as the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, some around the NFL are already wondering if he'd like to return to the league as soon as next season.

In a recent report from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the insider writes that "multiple NFL teams have inquired about whether legendary coach Bill Belichick would reconsider his move to college football."

The most prominent team to do so? The Las Vegas Raiders, whose new minority owner in Tom Brady of course played quarterback under Belichick with the New England Patriots. Pelissero says that Brady recently reached out to his former head coach to find out what it would take to make a reunion happen.

The Raiders fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday after a 4-12 season.

Multiple NFL teams have inquired about whether legendary coach Bill Belichick would reconsider his move to college football – including the Raiders, whose new minority owner Tom Brady spoke recently with his old coach, per league sources. https://t.co/MoyG87epRv

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 8, 2025

The 72-year-old Belichick was hired as the University of North Carolina's head football coach back in early December. When asked about potentially leaving for the NFL, he responded, "I didn't come here to leave."

Considering Belichick has already set up a semblance of a front office, begun recruiting, and is putting together a coaching staff that includes his son Steve, it would certainly be a shock if he up and left after less than a month. We'll see if Brady is the one that can make it happen.

Belichick's contract language with UNC includes a $10 million buy-out if he terminates without cause prior to June 1, 2025.

Brady and Belichick’s history in New England is well documented. The tandem went to 10 Super Bowls together while with the Patriots—winning six of them—and are widely considered to be the greatest head coach-quarterback duo in NFL history. Though the two split apart in 2020 after a reported power struggle, they've seemed to mend the fence in recent years—making public appearances together on podcasts, at Brady's Patriots Hall of Fame Ceremony, and most notably for Netflix's Roast of Tom Brady.

The two know how to win, and Pelissero writes in his piece that, “Brady believes the situation in Las Vegas requires a coach of Belichick's expertise and stature to establish a sustainable winning program.”

We'll wait and see if the dynamic duo can be rekindled in Sin City.

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