NFL insider has theory about Bill Belichick's media renaissance

Bill Belichick developed quite a reputation during his time as head coach of the New England Patriots for being rather unpleasant during news conferences and other media obligations. Thus, many fans are downright shocked Belichick accepted multiple media gigs ahead of the upcoming NFL season.

During a Thursday appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" program, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic suggested Belichick wanted somewhat of a "makeover" after he was shown the door by Patriots owner Robert Kraft this past January.

"He seems to be open to it," Russini said about Belichick, as shared by Reice Shipley of Awful Announcing. "Now the guy who hates the media is getting in front of it. Around the league though, the conversations — there is definitely some chit-chat: 'Look at Belichick playing the media darling role. Going through a public relations makeover.' A facelift, so to speak, to connect with those owners to show, 'Look, I connect with those young people, I can be cool. I’m not just the old ball coach. I’m able to adapt.'"

Patriots insider Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston mentioned back in January that Belichick could use media jobs to show he's still "a great communicator" at the age of 72. Since that time, Belichick has appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show," joined the "Inside the NFL" crew for the 2024 season and partnered with Underdog for a YouTube show. He's also expected to be a mainstay of "ManningCast" "Monday Night Football" alternate broadcasts this fall.

With that said, it was reported last month that Belichick "intends to coach in 2025" as he remains 15 wins away from setting an NFL record for career victories earned by a head coach (regular season and postseason combined). Russini indicated a campaign out of the league could help Belichick complete a needed reset.

"I know so many coaches, who after about two weeks after they get fired, get horrendously sick," Russini explained. "Like in bed, can’t move. It’s almost like the weight of everything just hits them like a ton of bricks … Bill taking a year off, who knows what it can do for him in terms of his own personal growth at his age?"

This past spring, Belichick was linked with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. All three of those clubs could have head-coach openings for different reasons come January 2025.