It is possible Jacksonville thumping the Patriots on Sunday in London helps Doug Pederson keep his job and by extension eliminate one of Bill Belichick’s potential landing spots? It’s possible.
The former Patriots coach who now has more media gigs than Ryan Seacrest and Pat McAfee combined, is expected to make a push to get back into coaching next year after reluctantly sitting out 2024. And as always there figures to be some openings.
Which teams will Belichick most likely be interested in and which ones will be most interested in him?
It almost certainly won’t be:
10. Carolina Panthers
Hard to see Belichick working for an owner who is that meddling and would fire a coach after one year with a roster that bad.
9. New York Jets
Belichick loves Aaron Rodgers. He loves living in New Jersey and the Jets have a good defense to start with. The idea of going against the Patriots twice a year could have some appeal to him too. With Rodgers’ expiration date fast approaching the Jets are all-in so hiring an old guy isn’t as unlikely as it might be in some places. But he has historically hated the Jets. HATED. It’s really hard to picture him working for Woody Johnson and the N.Y.J., but if it’s his only choice?
8. Cleveland Browns
The ownership is different from when Belichick was there but this still feels unlikely. The Browns are a mess. They sold their soul to get Deshaun Watson despite a parade of ugly allegations around him and hamstrung themselves salary cap-wise to do it. Watson has not only been terrible but now has a potential season-ending Achilles injury. The big question with Belichick is this: Will he take the best job available to him even if it’s not a good situation? Or would he stay on TV and risk never coaching again?
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Long shots:
7. New Orleans Saints
The Saints looked terrific starting the year with two wins. They’ve lost five straight now and are plummeting. Derek Carr’s injury might save Dennis Allen as it could insulate him for one more season. If the Saints finish closer to the middle, Allen is probably O.K. But Gayle Benson has only been the owner since 2018 which makes her unpredictable.
This might appeal to Belichick because this is a division someone can can win in, but the Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler QB options aren’t a great starting point.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are going backward. After back-to-back 9-8 seasons, they stumbled to 1-5 before stomping the Patriots in London. An interesting quirk might decide this. Jacksonville ends the season with the following five games. They’re at the Titans (1-5), home vs. Jets (2-5), at the Raiders (2-5), home against the Titans (1-5) and at the Colts (4-3). That’s a combined record (including the Titans record twice) of 10-23. If Jacksonville wins three or four of those games, suddenly the future might seem a little sunnier.
Fun Long shots:
5. United States Naval Academy
This is a long shot, BUT… Let’s say Brian Newberry gets hired for another job. That has to be step one. But he’ll be in demand after an amazingly good season in Annapolis, but even still he might not take it. But if he does:
Navy isn’t an easy place to get the right guy. Belichick loves Navy, maybe more than he loves the idea of breaking Don Shula’s record. Would he consider going home for a couple years, perhaps with Steve Belichick and Brian Belichick on his staff?
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have minimal patience with head coaches. Antonio Pierce is in his first full season as a head coach and doesn’t have a real quarterback on his roster. It probably would be fair to fire him yet. But this is the Raiders so who knows? What makes this fun is the big question: Would a team partially owned by Tom Brady hire Bill Belichick?
Realistic possibilities:
3. Philadelphia Eagles
The shine is off Nick Sirianni in Philadelphia, where local media is starting to wonder if he’s using his kids as human shields to avoid tough questions. When it gets to that point, the marriage rarely gets resolved. The Eagles are just two years from their last Super Bowl appearance and they have a good enough roster that great coaching could lift them to another level. Belichick would be tempting.
2. New York Giants
Bill Belichick reveres the Giants organization, the Mara family and living in New Jersey. He’d take rebuilding that franchise as a true badge of honor and the once-promising Brian Daboll era appears to be headed for a collapse.
1. Dallas Cowboys
This has always been the perfect ending. Jerry Jones gets rid of mediocre Mike McCarthy and chases a title with Bill Belichick. The two grumpy old guys trust each other enough to cede some of the personnel control to one another.
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
