NFL Trade Rumors: Bill Belichick Considering 3 Teams for 2025 Comeback

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick doesn't think he's done with football quite yet. In an explosive deep dive into the six-time Super Bowl champion's near-hire with the Atlanta Falcons earlier this offseason, ESPN's Don Vatta Jr., Seth Wickersham, and Jeremy Fowler sight a source that claims Belichick is eyeing three teams for a 2025 comeback: the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the New York Giants.

Why was Bill Belichick shut out of the hiring cycle? Latest from me, ⁦@DVNJr⁩ and ⁦@JFowlerESPN⁩
*No Falcons exec had him in their top three
*Sources say Kraft raised issues to Blank about trustworthiness
Inside a strange few days in January: https://t.co/BMVyfH9cw9
— Seth Wickersham (@SethWickersham) April 17, 2024

The Cowboys reportedly considered parting ways with head coach Mike McCarthy following an early postseason exit this January, so he's likely already on thin ice. If McCarthy fails to deliver a deep postseason run, it's not impossible the Cowboys would be willing to move on, particularly if they've already greased the wheel with Belichick. Today's report notes that Belichick and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones are close friends.

Like the Cowboys, the Eagles disappointed their fans in January with a first-round playoff exit. Also, like the Cowboys, they have a roster ready to contend for a championship. Head coach Nick Sirianni should have a little more runway than McCarthy; the Eagles narrowly lost the Super Bowl following the 2022 season, and he sports an eye-popping 34-17 record with the team.

The Giants aren't ready-made contenders like the Eagles and Cowboys, but Belichick has an extensive history with the organization. From 1980 to 1990, he served in various roles under iconic head coach Bill Parcells, even winning Super Bowls following the 1986 and 1990 seasons. The Giants also have a much clearer path to a coaching vacancy: with a 15-18-1 record through two seasons, Brian Daboll has yet to establish the successful track record that McCarthy and Sirianni have with their franchises.

Unfortunately for Belichick, everything that sabotaged his chances with the Falcons applies to every other team in the league. As ESPN notes, he isn't considered a long-term option due to his age (72), and he's notoriously gruff and standoffish. Obstinance and arrogance are easy for owners and front offices to tolerate when their teams win, but Belichick can't even promise that anymore: since legendary quarterback Tom Brady left the team in 2020, Belichick's Patriots compiled a 29-38 record while scoring a middling 20.7 points per game.

Belichick is only 15 wins away from passing Don Shula to become the NFL's all-time winningest coach, so it makes sense that he's still looking to get back into the league. Doing it may require adjusting his approach: wielding autocratic authority over every aspect of his organization and surrounding himself with familiar yes-men hasn't worked for years. Whether he's capable of change (or able to convince an owner that he is) will determine whether we see him in 2025.