Where will Belichick land? Ranking ex-Patriots coach’s best fits

Where will Belichick land? Ranking ex-Patriots coach’s best fits originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Bill Belichick chatter is growing louder with multiple NFL head coaches fired or on the hot seat heading into Week 7.

It’s unclear whether Belichick would consider a midseason return to coaching. The six-time Super Bowl champion is keeping himself busy with multiple media roles, including ESPN’s ManningCast and Pat McAfee Show. But whenever struggling teams part ways with their head coaches, Belichick’s name will be the first that comes to mind as a potential replacement.

So, which possible landing spots make the most sense for Belichick? We ranked the best fits for the New England Patriots legend below.

1. Dallas Cowboys

The Belichick-to-Dallas rumors are heating up following the Cowboys’ embarrassing Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions. Mike McCarthy’s group was blown out 47-9 in front of their home crowd.

The Cowboys are now 3-3 on the season with two of their wins coming by a total of eight points vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants. All three losses have come at home.

Despite the team’s horrible start, owner Jerry Jones said after the Detroit defeat he isn’t considering a coaching change at this time. That doesn’t mean McCarthy’s job is safe, however. FOX Sports’ Jordan Shultz added fuel to the Belichick rumors with a report on Sunday:

“While owner Jerry Jones remains committed to Mike McCarthy, many around the league wonder if Dallas could become the primary landing spot for Bill Belichick this offseason, should the Cowboys decide to make a change. According to multiple sources, Belichick has a “really great” relationship with the Jones family,” Schultz wrote.

McCarthy is in the final year of his contract. We’ll likely have to wait until the end of the season for a coaching change in Dallas, but it’s an obvious fit for Belichick with a roster built to win now.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

If the Cowboys pass on hiring Belichick, he could land with their division rival. The Eagles are an enticing option for the 72-year-old as a talented team that resides in the northeast.

Don’t let Philly’s 3-2 record fool you, it’s been a less-than-stellar start to the campaign for the Nick Sirianni-led group. They barely edged out a win over the lowly Cleveland Browns on Sunday in a game that ended with Sirianni getting into it with Eagles fans. Their other two victories were nail-biters vs. the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers.

The Eagles’ shortcomings last season put Sirianni on the hot seat. They stuck with their head coach for another year, but another disappointing finish to the campaign could force Philly to make a coaching change this winter.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags are in the AFC South cellar with a 1-5 record following their blowout loss to the Chicago Bears in London. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has looked like a shell of himself through the first six weeks of the season. This is not what owner Shad Khan had in mind when he invested in this year’s team and called it the “best in franchise history.”

A change in leadership may be in order, and this ownership group knows who to call. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted the close relationship between Belichick and the Khans on a recent episode of Early Edition.

“Depending on what (Belichick) thinks of Trevor Lawrence, you have the quarterback there. It’s convenient to one of his residences in South Florida. And Shad Khan, to some degree, is an absentee owner. He’s not around a lot. So (Belichick) would be able to run the show there. He’s got a relationship with Shad’s son, Tony,” Breer said. …

“I think this is a detail that maybe not a lot of people know. When they hired Doug Marrone in 2017, they did so largely on the advice of Bill Belichick. The Khans heard from Bill Belichick that they should hire Marrone, so clearly Bill has the ear of ownership there too.

“So I certainly think it’s a place where if Bill was valuing the football situation, like, ‘Can I have control? Are they gonna run it my way? Am I gonna be able to bring in my own general manager? Is there a quarterback there?’ I think it sets up nicely.”

A reunion with ex-Pats quarterback Mac Jones might be a bit awkward. Other than that, Jacksonville seems like an ideal fit for Belichick if he doesn’t end up with one of the NFC East powerhouses.

4. New York Giants

The Giants aren’t set up to win ASAP like the teams above. Still, Belichick is a historian at heart, and he has plenty of history with the organization.

New York is 2-4 on the season and expected to finish as one of the league’s worst teams. It isn’t necessarily head coach Brian Daboll’s fault – the roster leaves plenty to be desired – but he could still be a casualty at season’s end.

Author Ian O’Connor, who wrote Belichick’s self-titled biography, brought up the Giants as a possible destination on an episode of the Next Pats Podcast.

“It would be interesting to see him — and I live in the New York, New Jersey area — to see him end his career with the Giants, because he should have had that job after (Bill) Parcells,” O’Connor said. “The only reason he wasn’t the head coach of the Giants back then was because George Young, the general manager, hated him. And so, they missed on that.

“To see an end in New York would be a great story, but I do absolutely think he’ll be a head coach again. He wants to break (Don) Shula’s record and I think he’ll have that opportunity.”

Former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman also fueled some Belichick-to-Giants rumors by stating his longtime head coach may want to return to where he rose to prominence.

It isn’t the best landing spot for Belichick as he looks to overtake Don Shula as the winningest head coach in NFL history. That said, it wouldn’t be a total surprise to see him join an organization he still clearly has an affinity for.

5. Chicago Bears

Matt Eberflus is coaching for his job in Chicago. If this season goes downhill despite the organization’s investments in the offense, he’ll almost certainly be sent packing.

So far though, the Bears have shown promise with a 4-2 record that keeps them in the conversation in the NFC North. Caleb Williams is starting to look like the quarterback they hoped they’d be getting with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.

Of course, there’s still plenty of time for things to go south. If they do, the opportunity to hire Belichick will be tough for this ascending team to turn down.

6. New York Jets

Everybody had the same thought when the Jets fired Robert Saleh: how funny would it be if Belichick decided to spite the Patriots and join their archrival? That’s the only real reason the Jets have a spot on this list.

You can safely cross the Jets off after Belichick ripped the organization and its owner Woody Johnson during Monday’s ManningCast.