Would any NFL team hire Bill Belichick? One possibility stands out.
When the Patriots fired Bill Belichick, it seemed inevitable that he'd land another NFL head-coaching job. The vibe has since shifted from inevitability to impossibility.
But there's still one team to watch, in our view.
It came up during Wednesday's PFT Live, when Simms and I were identifying coaches that need to do more than make the playoffs in 2025.
Although Todd Bowles has won the NFC South in each of his three seasons as Tampa Bay's head coach, the Buccaneers have a unique history, to say the least, when it comes to the coaching position. In 2009, they abruptly dumped Jon Gruden for Raheem Morris. Three years later, they hired Greg Schiano. They surprisingly fired Lovie Smith in 2016, apparently in order to avoid losing offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to another team. And some still believe that Tom Brady's unretirement in 2022 (after his path to Miami was blocked) was conditioned on Bruce Arians being nudged into retirement.
Last year, Belichick consigliere Michael Lombardi was spreading a false rumor that Bowles may retire after the season. (Bowles quickly shut that down.) Which sparked speculation that Belichick was eyeballing the Buccaneers.
So why would Lombardi be trying to speak a vacancy into existence? Maybe because that's one of the jobs Belichick would want.
Even with all of the craziness that has happened of late, the Bucs can't be ruled out as a potential destination for Belichick. Again, they hired Greg Schiano.
Much of it depends on what the Bucs do (or don't do) in 2025, and what the Tar Heels do (or don't do) in 2025. Still, with Belichick's buyout down to $1 million as of last Sunday, let's not assume no one at the NFL level will want Belichick. The Bucs have the talent; if ownership decides that an excellent game-day coach could get them back to the top of the mountain, it's not as nutty as it may seem.
We're not saying Bowles shouldn't keep the job. We're jus trying to stay ahead of the curve. And the curve could indeed bend in unexpected ways in Tampa.
Because it has before. More than once.