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To the surprise of the football-viewing world, Bill Belichick, arguably the greatest head coach in NFL history, could be taking his talents to the collegiate level. Word came out last week that the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach was in talks with North Carolina about their vacancy, sending shockwaves across the landscape. After all, the assumption by onlookers was that Belichick eyed a return to the NFL in 2025 as he's just 15 victories shy of passing Don Shula for the all-time wins record (both regular season and postseason). Nevertheless, Belichick seems to at least be considering vacating that pursuit for the powdered blues. 

It does appear like the hooded head coach still has an interest in coming back to the NFL, but it remains to be seen if a team will have him. Pro Football Talk reports that Belichick is "very surprised" that he has yet to hear from NFL teams about coaching for them in 2025. At the moment, only three teams have vacancies: the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears. This report confirms that none of those teams have contacted Belichick about their opening. 

Last offseason, Belichick's market was sparse after he and the New England Patriots decided to part ways. For a moment, it looked like he was set to become the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, but the organization then pivoted toward Raheem Morris. So, if Belichick is getting a similar sense that he could be shut out from this latest cycle and still has the burning desire to coach at any level, having UNC in his back pocket makes sense. 

The timing of all this is what could truly be fascinating. College football's transfer portal is currently open, and one would think that UNC would like to have its head coach installed in order to retain/acquire players. However, there are expected to be more openings that pop up in the NFL once the regular season concludes, which could be an attractive landing spot for Belichick. With that in mind, Belichick may need to take a calculated risk of either taking the UNC gig before fully knowing all the NFL jobs that are available this year or holding off from taking the college job and seeing which NFL coaches get the axe.