NFL rumors suggest Bill Belichick’s coaching status will be top topic of 2024 season

The legendary Bill Belichick has pretty much been in the NFL since he got his start as a special assistant for the then-Baltimore Colts back in 1975.

That will not be the case with the 2024 season upon us. Belichick, 72, and the New England Patriots “mutually” agreed to part ways with one another following the 2023 campaign. It ended an historic 24-year run that saw New England win six Super Bowl titles.

Surprisingly, Belichick was not able to land a job with another team despite showing interest in returning to the sideline.

So, where does this leave the future Hall of Fame head coach? It looks like Belichick could simply be taking a one-year hiatus from coaching.

“Whether Belichick actually gets another coaching job remains to be seen. Still, there’s no question his free-agent status will be among the most heavily discussed topics around the league during the season. In fact, it’s already been a prominent topic at various facilities,” Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported on Thursday .

Howe specifically points to teams that are in must-win mode right now. Should struggles be the name of the game, this talk will get even louder. The Dallas Cowboys and head coach Mike McCarthy stand out immediately due to their lack of playoff success under him.

• Bill Belichick coaching record: 302-165, .647 winning percentage, 6 Super Bowl titles

“That will definitely be a much bigger cloud than we’ve seen in a long time,” a high-ranking team executive told Howe.

Despite Belichick’s historic success in New England, his tenure with the Patriots ended with both drama and on-field struggles.

New England posted a combined 29-38 record in the four seasons after franchise legend Tom Brady left. It was 4-13 this past season.

Related: Ranking Bill Belichick among best NFL coaches of all-time

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