The speculation began as soon as the news broke Monday that the Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll.
Is it possible Bill Belichick would go home to East Rutherford?
The 73-year-old, currently in his first season as UNC’s head coach, addressed the possibility of coaching the Giants during a press conference on Tuesday.
Predictably, he said he was focused on the Tar Heels’ upcoming opponent.
“Getting ready for Wake Forest, that’s all I got this week,” Belichick said. “I’ve been asked about [an NFL return] from time to time. Look, I’ve been down this road before. I’m focused on Wake Forest, that’s it. That’s my commitment to this team. Next week it’ll be to our next opponent and so forth. I’m here to do the best I can for this team.”
Belichick was the defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells when the Giants won Super Bowls 21 and 25, and he has often waxed poetic about the organization and his star player, Lawrence Taylor.
But the dynamic around a potential Belichick hire in 2025 has completely changed from even just two years ago, after he and the Patriots parted ways following 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles.
His relationship with 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, has been highly scrutinized and she has had a penchant for drawing attention to herself, including sideline appearances at UNC football games this season.
Belichick also hasn’t exactly impressed in his first foray as a college head coach, as UNC is 4-5 this year, including 2-3 in ACC play. They lost four straight before posting back-to-back wins against Syracuse and Stanford.
Belichick struck out on NFL jobs after his New England exit, interviewing for the Falcons job that eventually went to Raheem Morris. He then took on several media jobs for the 2024 season before shocking the football world with his move to Chapel Hill.
Daboll, who spent seven seasons as an assistant on Belichick’s Patriots staff, was fired a day after the Giants lost to the Bears to fall to 2-8 and blew a double-digit lead for the fourth time this year.
