Las Vegas Raiders are searching for a new head coach though Tom Brady could have already received his answer from Bill Belichick.
Shortly after the end of the Raiders’ 2024 season, Las Vegas’ ownership announced in a statement that first year head coach Antonio Pierce had been dismissed after a 4-13 campaign. The Raiders won two of its first four games before losing 10 straight, en route to the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
With Las Vegas in need of an established leader, reports circulated that Brady has reached out to Belichick, his former coach, to see if he was interested in taking the head coaching vacancy. NFL insider Tom Pelissero explained in greater detail what the conversation was like.
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“But Brady has been in touch with Belichick recently as the Raiders weighed the future of head coach Antonio Pierce, who was fired on Tuesday after going 4-13 in his lone season as the full-time head coach,” Pelissero wrote. “Brady and Belichick won six Super Bowls together with the Patriots, and sources say Brady believes the situation in Las Vegas requires a coach of Belichick’s expertise and stature to establish a sustainable winning program.”
And while Brady has checked in with his former New England Patriots coach, the legendary head coach appeared to have already given his former player the answer to his query. During his introductory press conference, Belichick made it clear he signed on with UNC for the long term.
“I’ve always wanted to coach in college football and it just never really worked out,” Belichick said at the time. “Had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK. … I didn’t come here to leave.”
Tom Brady reportedly reached out to Bill Belichick for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching vacancy though the answer could be clear (
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))
Belichick doubled down on that stance in a Christmas-themed post on Instagram. The former NFL head coach jokingly posted a letter to Santa Claus, wishing to have “1. Great players who want to help me build a winning football program at UNC. (My DMs are open)” and “2. UNC Alumni, fans & supporters who want to help me build a winning football program at UNC.”
And while Belichick claims he will stay at UNC, a unique clause in his contract could potentially open the door for his return to the NFL. In essence, Belichick could leave UNC to return the league, though if he does so before June 1, 2025, teams will have to pay a $10 million buyout.
With the clause in place, many pundits believe Belichick could potentially leave the Tar Heels sooner rather than later, despite his declarations. Among those pundits is Chris Simms, with the NFL analyst believing the head coach is not staying in college for long.
“I mean, the buyout tells you everything,” Simms said. “Starting this June, he can be bought out for couch cushion change for NFL owners. I mean, come on, a million dollars? Belichick has got a million dollars in cash he can put in his pocket and pay that off. That’s nothing; he’s worth hundreds of millions.”
“So, yeah, am I shocked he’s going to college? Definitely. Did I think there’d be a team out there that would latch onto Belichick? I did think that. But I’m not shocked that the NFL rejected Belichick.”
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