Tom Brady could take advantage of Bill Belichick’s curious UNC clause to lure his former head coach to the Las Vegas Raiders.

On Tuesday, the Raiders fired Antonio Pierce after a single full season as head coach. The AFC West franchise went 4-13, winning two of their final three games to end a 10-game losing streak when their season was all but over.

The Raiders have now gone from Jon Gruden, who resigned in 2021, to Josh McDaniels, who was fired in 2023, to firing Pierce immediately after the 2024 season. Las Vegas needs stability in the head coaching role, and Brady is set to play a key role in the search after becoming a minority owner of the Raiders.

Brady could use his influence to turn to the coach alongside whom he won six Super Bowl titles while with the New England Patriots. While Belichick recently returned to coaching in college football with UNC, he reportedly has a clause in his contract that means he could leave should an NFL job opening become available and he’s offered the chance to take it.

Belichick had previously insinuated his preferred option would be a return to the league, which means he could potentially walk away from the school before coaching a single game. Before accepting the UNC role, Belichick was expected to be one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel list this offseason – and the firing of Pierce opens the door to link up with Brady once more should the Raiders be interested.

Thanks to the Brady-Belichick tandem, the Patriots reached the Super Bowl on nine occasions, winning six championships as well as 16 AFC East division titles. However, New England struggled once Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the quarterback sensationally winning Super Bowl LV before retiring in February 2023.

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Tom Brady and Bill Belichick won six Super Bowl rings across two decades in Foxborough together

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick won six Super Bowl rings across two decades in Foxborough together ( 

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Getty Images)

Without his quarterback, Belichick went 29-38 with the Pats, missing the playoffs in three of four years before stepping down as head coach and de facto general manager. He interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons over their vacant role, and after the NFC South franchise went with Raheem Morris, Belichick entered the 2024 NFL season without a coaching role of any capacity for the first time since 1975.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in sporting history, he took on broadcasting roles on shows including “Manningcast” and “The Pat McAfee Show’”. But Belichick remained set on coaching, and he decided to go with UNC as no NFL opportunities presented themselves.

Belichick insisted he is ready to commit to college for the foreseeable future, but maybe Brady and the Raiders will test his resolve. The franchise certainly needs an imposing figure to compete in a division that includes Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs, Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers, and Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos – all of whom have made the playoffs.