NFL analyst claims Bill Belichick is pulling similar career move to when he left Jets for Patriots

After spending a year on the sidelines, six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick didn't wait for the NFL's offseason to get a new job. Instead, he made a shock move to college football and took over as the coach of the University of North Carolina. Despite signing a five-year deal with the Tar Heels, he has kept the door open for a return to the NFL.

Belichick's contract with the Tar Heels has a $10 million release clause, which drops to $1 million on July 1. NFL insider Mike Florio believes the former Patriots coach's asking for an affordable release clause is a clear indicator that he only took the UNC job to ensure that he had one in 2025 after spending a year on the shelf, similar to his Patriots move after leaving the Jets:

"I believe (Bill Belichick) wanted to know he was going to have a spot. He didn't want to have an interview. He wanted to have a spot. And no one was willing to do that.

"Whether it's because no one envisioned him as the guy or no one wanted to ignore the spirit, if not the letter of the Rooney Rule. He didn't have an assurance, I believe, that he was going to have an NFL job, so he jumped in North Carolina."

Florio claimed that Belichick would leave the Tar Heels job in an instant if an NFL team approached him with a job offer:

"Well, now, now that they're sniffing around. If he can quietly go through the process. And somebody makes him an offer, that's a different ballgame. So it's bird in the hand versus not in the bush.

"And now you got the bird in the hand. But the two in the bush are calling your name. Sorry, bird in the hand. See you later."

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Tom Brady's Raiders reportedly eyeing Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick's rumored return to the NFL could be happening soon. According to league insider Tom Pelissero, multiple teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders, are interested in hiring the eight-time Super Bowl champion as their new coach.

Pelissero claimed that Raiders minority owner and Patriots icon Tom Brady reached out to his former coach to gauge his interest in a return to the NFL. Pelissero reported:

"Brady has been in touch with Belichick recently as the Raiders weighed the future of head coach Antonio Pierce, who was fired on Tuesday after going 4-13 in his lone season as the full-time head coach. ... Sources say Brady believes the situation in Las Vegas requires a coach of Belichick's expertise and stature to establish a sustainable winning program."

Belichick leaving the Tar Heels without coaching a game or overseeing a practice would be similar to his infamous exit from the New York Jets. He quit after only one day in charge of the team due to issues with the front office and joined the Patriots. He turned the franchise into the most dominant dynasty in the league's history.

Having witnessed it firsthand and played a massive role in it, Brady is keen on recreating that magical run in Las Vegas.