What is Bill Belichick’s buyout at UNC? A look at 7x Super Bowl champ’s contract

Much has been made about Bill Belichick’s contract with the North Carolina Tar Heels. In particular, what the buyout option would be for the former New England Patriots head coach.

While Belichick has been adamant that he is not planning to leave the program anytime soon, some wondered whether an unsigned contract would allow him to escape any repercussions if he chose to take an NFL job.

The contract is signed now and while the school released details of the deal late last week, ESPN’s Pete Thamel posted some sections of the deal on his X account. Among the information in the posts is Bill Belichick’s buyout option.

If Belichick terminates the contract with the Tar Heels before Jun. 1, 2025, the buyout is $10 million. However, if the coach decides to leave after that date, the cost will decrease to $1 million.

The contract will pay Belichick $10 million for the next five years. It also has a bonus for reaching poll and CFP milestones as well as playing in non-CFP bowl games or making it to the ACC Championship Game.

The buyout could open the door for the coach to leave the school down the road, but it at least makes it more difficult to do so before his first season in Carolina.

While some NFL teams could be willing to pay the $10 million buyout, it’s unlikely Bill Belichick was enticed to leave Chapel Hill as some speculated. As Michael Lombardi told “The Pat McAfee Show”, signing contracts with UNC is a lengthier process compared to NFL teams.

"Contracts are very complicated and if you understand the North Carolina system, it's a state institution, it takes a while to get things done," Michael Lombardi said.

The Tar Heels are set to open the season on Aug. 30 at home against the TCU Horned Frogs.

Bill Belichick unhappy with NFL coaching rule

One of the biggest issues with the NFL coaching carousel is that some of the hottest candidates are in the playoffs. That means that some may have to open time in their busy schedules to prepare and interview for other positions. Bill Belichick is not a fan of this practice.

On the “Let’s Go!” podcast, the former NFL head coach talked about how those distractions hurt the playoff team’s chances.

“I think it’s really unfortunate when you have a team, including the coaches and the coordinators, worked so hard all year to get to the playoffs, to have an opportunity to play in conference championships and Super Bowls, and then they’re totally distracted by another team, who was a bad team, who has a coaching change, infringing on that team that’s trying to get to a championship by hiring one of their top coaches,” Bill Belichick said.

The former Patriots coach’s remarks came after the Detroit Lions lost in the Divisional Playoffs. Coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn were interviewed by different teams between the end of the regular season and the game against the Washington Commanders. Johnson signed with the Chicago Bears on Monday and Glenn joined the New York Jets on Wednesday.

Belichick remembered that when he took the Cleveland Browns head coaching job in 1991, he didn’t interview for the position until after the Super Bowl. That year, Belichick was a part of Bill Parcells’ New York Giants staff and his defensive gameplan was vital in the win against the Buffalo Bills.