UNC has kept ‘close watch’ on Bill Belichick amid NFL job speculation

The structure of Bill Belichick's contract and his delay in appointing his staff instilled doubt into the minds of UNC officials with respect to his interest in coaching the Tar Heels.

UNC has kept ‘close watch’ on Bill Belichick amid NFL job speculation

Bill Belichick (Image via IMAGO)

It has been over a month since eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick shocked the college football world by announcing his new role as the Head Coach of the UNC program. However, a lot has changed since in the NFL.

With major NFL teams such as the Chicago Bears, the New York Jets, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Las Vegas Raiders firing their respective HCs subsequently, North Carolina entered a phase of insecurity.

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There is a strong possibility that the owners or general managers of some of the aforementioned teams reached out to Bill Belichick regarding the possibility of an NFL return. Despite Belichick accepting the Tar Heels job, many of these teams would have had more to offer than North Carolina which is why the team began to fear if Belichick would have second thoughts and return to the big league.

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As per ESPN, North Carolina has kept a close tab to ensure Belichick does not get enticed by the prospect of coaching in the NFL once again. The report states that “the school was closely monitoring any news that their new coach could make a quick pivot back to the pros.” They are valid to have these concerns because of how his contract is structured.

The Head Coach signed the contract on the 25th of January. As per the deal, if Belichick were to leave North Carolina before June 1st of this year, he would have to pay a buyout of $10 million but beyond this period, the amount falls to $1 million.

Bill Belichick is all-in on making North Carolina the best college football program

The other factors such as Belichick taking time to sign his contract and being slow in appointing his coaching staff fuelled the speculation of him possibly making a return to the league. North Carolina had left no stone unturned in ensuring his conditions were met including agreeing to appoint his son Stephen as his successor and increasing their football spending by 25% including paying Michael Lombardi, the newly appointed GM of the Tar Heels a sum of $1.5 million per year.

Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick (Image via IMAGO)

The Tar Heels have no cause for concern now. Bill Belichick is solely focused toward making North Carolina the star of the upcoming college football season. The changes have begun to take effect.

The Head Coach has implemented his ‘Do your job’ philosophy, the very method that made the Patriots a dynasty in the NFL in the locker room. One of his first moves was to remove the jersey numbers and names of all players. During practice, the athletes wear a blank jersey without their identity on it.

Last season, UNC ended with a 6-7 record. The team will hope to improve by leaps and bounds this year. College football has become similar to the NFL since the arrival of the NIL regime. Fortunately for Belichick, he is no stranger to recruiting and with the support of Michael Lombardi, the team will make a strong push to sign the top talent in the country.

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