The Bill Belichick free agency drama might be just getting started.
As NFL head coaching vacancies have dwindled for the legendary coach following the Falcons’ recent hiring of Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, insiders are speculating the Belichick question may linger over all of next season — especially at MetLife Stadium.
“That question is going to hang out all season long because right now there is no indication that Bill Belichick is going to land one of these (current) head coaching jobs,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on “Get Up” Friday morning.
After the panel debated why Belichick was passed over, former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum brought the debate back to 2025.
“The biggest shadow he is going to cast is in East Rutherford, New Jersey,” Tannenbaum added.
“He has a great relationship with the Mara family. The first time the Giants lose a game, Brian Daboll — whether it’s fair or unfair — is going to have to answer that question every press conference.”
Belichick, 71, who leaves the Patriots after 24 years, six Super Bowls, and 296 combined regular-season and playoff wins, has only interviewed with the Falcons, who may have seen him as a “short-term play.”
The Seahawks and Commanders are the only two teams that still have vacancies at head coach, but Belichick may balk at the idea of coaching in a large media market.
His past with the New York teams — he served Bills Parcells’ defensive coordinator during the legendary coach’s stints with the Giants and Jets — gives him plenty of familiarity with the market and its main characters.
Though Daboll won Coach of the Year for the Giants’ surprising 9-7-1 finish in 2022 — as well as the team’s first playoff berth since 2016 — a disappointing 6-11 mark and a nasty split with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has ignited questions about the team’s future following the 2023 campaign.
The Giants may also have the opportunity to make a franchise-altering decision with the No. 6 pick in the draft this season, as quarterback Daniel Jones rehabs from a torn ACL.
In the years after Tom Brady’s departure from New England, Belichick’s teams had a spotty record, posting losing seasons in three out of four years and making the playoffs just once.