Jaguars no longer have to entertain Bill Belichick rumors amid latest UNC update
It looks like a matter of time before the Jacksonville Jaguars dismiss head coach Doug Pederson. In recent weeks, Bill Belichick had surfaced as a trendy choice to take his place. However, the Jags will have to look somewhere else for Pederson's replacement in light of the latest news.
Ollie O'Connolly of Guardian US reports that Belichick has agreed to become the next head coach at North Carolina, noting that The Hoodie handed the school a 400-page "organization bible" that outlines how he plans to run the program.
Update: Belichick has agreed to become the next UNC coach. Belichick handed the school a 400 page “organizational bible” with structure, payment plans, staffing choices etc. decisions on whether to commit with UNC. He is expected to know their decision within 24 hours https://t.co/DAV2yX9Mn5
— Ollie Connolly (@OllieConnolly) December 10, 2024
UNC now has 24 hours to respond, but it looks like it's a done deal. A few days ago, O'Connolly broke the news that the negotiations included a guarantee that Stephen Belichick would be named the school's head coach in the waiting, and the school was open to it.
The news is a bit surprising because Belichick said just a couple days ago that his conversations with UNC were exploratory and was open to other options. Now, the Jaguars will have to look somewhere else for Doug Pederson's potential replacements.
The Jaguars will have ample options besides Bill Belichick in the next hiring cycle
Bill Belichick appeared in eight Super Bowls and won six in 24 seasons with the New England Patriots. However, he had struggled to win in recent years, which led to his dismissal in 2024. At the time, he let it be known that he still wanted to coach but only got one interview with the Atlanta Falcons and they ended up going with Raheem Morris.
One of the reasons Belichick may not have been in demand in the past hiring cycle and probably wouldn't have been in 2025 is that he seemingly wants to have full control over personnel decisions. This isn't a great idea when you take into account that he had trouble replenishing the Patriots roster and left the team devoid of talent by the end of his stint.
Before the UNC news, the Jags were the most likely destination for Belichick to return to the NFL. Mike Sando of The Athletic reported that owner Shad Khan might have been inclined to give him the power he wanted while Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested the Super Bowl-winning head coach could work alongside general manager Trent Baalke.
Having said that, it was uncertain, at least from an outside perspective, to know how truly interested Jacksonville would've been in Belichick. But even if he takes the UNC job, and signs point in that direction, the Jaguars will have no shortage of options in the next hiring cycle. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson should be their top option, but there will be other intriguing candidates besides him.
When you take into account that the Jaguars have a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, around $62 million in space, and plenty of draft picks, they should have no trouble courting the candidate of their choice.
The bottom line is that the Jacksonville Jaguars will no longer have to worry about speculation linking them to Bill Belichick. If they were legitimately interested in pursuing him, they will simply have to make an adjustment to their list of candidates.
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