There have been several reports in recent months that Bill Belichick wants to coach again in 2025. Today was another one. There might be another one tomorrow. Or next Sunday. Or the next one.
Of course he wants to coach again. His various media platforms during the 2024 season were not about the money. They want to build a case to resume the hunt for Don Shula’s all-time winning record.
He has used his pulpit as much to settle scores as to stake out landing sites. By Jacksonville Unpleasant Tampa to wherever/anywhere that might be open during or after the season. The larger the landing sites, the more influence he has.
But he must be careful. Belichick’s recent comment about owners being influenced by outside voices, made during his last Pat McAfee appearance, won’t make any owner more likely to be the next owner Belichick ends up complaining about.
Asked by McAfee if owners listen to the media, Belichick said this: “One hundred percent. One hundred percent. It often happens that when you read the Monday paper, you get exactly the same questions from the owner when you meet him later in the day. It’s almost as if they read the columns and all and then, you know you, whatever it says in the paper, that’s kind of the question. Hey, why don’t you blitz anymore? Hey, why didn’t we play this play anymore? You know, we went for it on the fourth spot?’ Whatever it is, whatever the columns are in the newspaper, that’s often what comes up in the owner’s meeting. It is what it is.
Belichick acknowledged that he made a lot of bad decisions while coaching. That comes from making, as he said, a few hundred decisions every day.
He said the owner’s “worst” comments about him occurred in Cleveland while he was working for the late Art Modell. “You know, the guy who runs the defense,” Belichick said when asked. ‘Does he really know what he’s doing? Are you sure we’re okay with the defense? Do you think, you know, that you might want to invoke some more of these defenses?” [Nick] Saban. [Nick] Saban was the defensive coordinator.”
While Belichick didn’t specifically mention the questions he received from Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the fact that Belichick coached there for 24 years suggests that happened in New England as well. Indeed, Belichick did not say that Kraft never asked media-influenced questions.
It’s another factor Belichick’s next employer will have to consider. Whatever the owner says or does at his next stop will become fodder for his next eventual media blitz. And if you ask him a stupid question, he won’t be shy about telling the world that you did.
