Six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick mutually agreed to part ways with the New England Patriots after 24 seasons.
At the time of the move, he was the oldest head coach in the NFL. This isn’t stopping the future Hall of Famer from looking for other teams to run now that he’s a free agent.
We’re already hearing rumors about one NFC South squad being the favorite to land Belichick. But interest is not going to be limited when it comes to his services.
What we do know is that a recent report could take some teams out of the running. Belichick is reportedly demanding $20 million annually on a new contract with full player personnel control.
“It seems likely that he’ll pursue another coaching job, though it would need to be the right situation where Belichick could have the final say in roster construction — a situation he covets — while being paid more than $20 million per season.
Belichick remains 14 wins shy of Shula’s all-time victories record, a mark he would like to surpass. There aren’t many teams with openings that have a willingness to pay Belichick and hand over all power in their personnel department.”
Report from Chad Graff and Dianna Russini on Bill Belichick contract demands
Belichick was said to be the highest-paid NFL head coach during his time in New England at $20 million per season.
This doesn’t change the fact that Belichick’s contract demands coupled with wanting to retain power could eliminate some potential destinations.
Related: Ideal Bill Belichick landing spots
Where is Bill Belichick going?
The Las Vegas Raiders are one team that have been linked to Belichick a lot in recent weeks. However, this recent report could make that a near impossibility. Remember, Raiders owner Mark Davis paid out $100 million over 10 seasons to Jon Gruden back in 2018. Gruden didn’t even last four full seasons before having to resign in disgrace.
Davis is still paying the recently-fired Josh McDaniels through the 2026 season. With a net worth of $2.3 billion, most figure he’d have no issue paying out another contract. But that’s among the lowest figures for an owner in the NFL world.
With that said, Davis is said to be going big-game hunting for a new head coach. Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh has been bandied about a lot. He would cost near that $20 million per-year figure.
The Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers are among the other teams that have been linked to Belichick. Of this group, Atlanta and Carolina are the only ones with general managers under contract. That, too, could play a role.