Bill Belichick continues to have plenty of surprises in store for us. Last week he shocked almost everyone when he took the head coaching job at UNC, bringing his brand of football to a college team for the first time.
And on Sunday, we found out which unlikely NFL team Belichick was interested in before getting involved with UNC. Are you ready?
The New York Jets. The same team Belichick left suddenly 24 years ago after less than a day as head coach. According to Diana Russini of The Athletic, the Jets were “informed” about two weeks ago that Belichick had “interest in their organization.”
It’s unclear what “interest in their organization” actually meant, but the Jets are a team that could have been exactly what Belichick was looking for. They have an opening for a new head coach (Robert Saleh was fired after Week 5) and a general manager (Joe Douglas was fired after Week 11). While these are typically separate positions, Belichick has served as both a general manager and head coach during his many years with the New England Patriots. His preference for that type of structure may have hampered his search for a new job late last season, since most teams prefer to employ a separate head coach and general manager.
Russini said the Jets were “stunned” to discover that Belichick, who resigned all those years ago by writing a note on a napkin saying “I am resigning as HC of the NYJ,” was interested in a meeting.
However, his interest came to nothing. Very few people within the Jets have been informed of a possible partnership with Belichick. According to Russini, the Jets and Belichick never got to any meetings or formal discussion before the UNC train started.
