One year away from an NFL coaching staff seems as if it’ll be enough for Bill Belichick.
With two coaches already fired and a third possibly on the way after the Jaguars’ latest loss Sunday, Belichick still reportedly wants to coach during the 2025 season, with one anonymous source close to the 72-year-old telling The Athletic that, “Coaching is in his blood. He wants this.”
That indicates Belichick hasn’t wavered from the sentiment that has followed him since the longtime coach and the Patriots parted ways following the 2023 season, though ESPN reported ahead of New England’s season opener that Belichick “is expected to be choosy if and when he returns to the sideline.”
Still, despite those hints and the fact that Belichick has remained close to the NFL through appearances on the “ManningCast,” “The “Pat McAfee Show” and “Inside the NFL,” among other media appearances, the Daily Mail reported last month that Belichick was at a “crossroads” in his coaching career given his relationship with 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson.
“There is still a drive to coach again and break the wins record, but his life now isn’t that bad as he has been enjoying doing TV and absolutely enjoying his relationship with his girlfriend Jordon that is blossoming into something that is going to lead to marriage,” a source told the Daily Mail at the time. “He wants to be with her all of the time, but she is pushing him to see the options that he will have for next season because she knows that makes him happy.”
A return to coaching would allow Belichick the chance to inch close to Don Shula’s all-time coaching wins record of 347 — with Belichick currently at 333, including playoffs.
He won six Super Bowls with the Patriots and two before that as an assistant with the Giants, and his name has been linked to plenty of teams — even those who don’t have vacancies yet.
The Jets and Saints fired Robert Saleh and Dennis Allen earlier this season, respectively, while the Jaguars could opt to move on from Doug Pederson after Jacksonville’s 52-6 embarrassment Sunday against the Lions that dropped their record to 2-9.
“I can’t control that,” Pederson told reporters after the game, according to NFL Network. “Listen, I’ve been around this league a long time. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen obviously. But at the same time, I have a job to do.”
If Jacksonville does fire Pederson, it’d open another vacancy that Belichick could be considered for — and it appears, as of now, that he remains serious about a coaching return.
