After the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike McCarthy, there are now just four NFL head coaching jobs available. Yet, there was once a total of 10 NFL head coaching jobs available this offseason. Bill Belichick wasn’t interviewed for any of them.
Of the four remaining vacancies, only the Buffalo Bills made the playoffs in the past year. In fact, the Bills are the only team with an NFL head coaching vacancy to reach the postseason since 2023.
That makes the Bills’ job easily the most attractive spot left. Though boasting an NFL MVP like Josh Allen surely doesn’t hurt. Yet, the Bills are also the only team with a franchise quarterback, as the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Las Vegas Raiders are all expected to overhaul their QB rooms this offseason.
Still, the Bills are in the same position as their peers, trying to find the right coach who can find playoff success. Meanwhile, arguably the greatest Super Bowl coach is still available, but teams would have to buy Belichick out of his contract with the North Carolina Tar Heels. With Belichick’s buyout set at just $1 million, money doesn’t appear to be an issue for any team looking for a new head coach.
Yet, it doesn’t look like any team wants to hire Belichick. As mentioned, he hasn’t received a single head coaching interview request this offseason.
That didn’t prevent Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio from wondering why the Bills don’t just consider hiring the six-time Super Bowl champion. After all, if the Bills were willing to interview retired NFL QB Philip Rivers, who has zero head coaching experience above the high school level, why wouldn’t they consider a master of his craft, like Belichick?
“If the Bills are now casting a net wide enough to include a candidate with no pro or college coaching experience, why not talk to Belichick? Perhaps recent events have made him willing (and able) to just coach the team, and nothing else. Sure, he’d have to cut the cord with his consigliere, Mike Lombardi. And both owner Terry Pegula and G.M. Brandon Beane would need to be willing to make the leap of faith that Belichick could be trusted to just coach the team, and not try to run the show.
Mike Florio on Bills/Bill Belichick
Buffalo’s obvious goal is to get over the top. If so, shouldn’t they at least talk to Belichick? Do their homework on him? Talk through whether there’s a way to make it work in a way that would deliver to Bills Mafia the Super Bowl win they’ve coveted since the moment Scott Norwood’s 47-yard field-goal attempt missed the mark?”
The Bills aren’t ready to admit it publicly, but Sean McDermott’s failure to help Allen get to the Super Bowl directly contributed to the coach’s dismissal. Meanwhile, who’s better than not only getting to, but also winning the Lombardi Trophy, than Belichick?
With the top coaching candidates already picked over, it appears the best ones left are Belichick and McDermott. And despite an online petition with over 75,000 signatures calling for the Bills to re-hire McDermott, it’s not going to happen. That may leave Belichick as the next best solution, even if Buffalo reportedly has no interest in the former AFC East head coach.
Related: Buffalo Bills Could Turn to Surprise Coach to Replace Sean McDermott
