Stephen A. Smith Highlights Bill Belichick’s Red Flags Amid Job Search

Stephen A. Smith isn't surprised to see Bill Belichick without a job two weeks after his New England Patriots departure.

Belichick is an exceptional football coach, probably the best of all time. But the future Pro Football Hall of Famer isn't bereft of flaws, and his status makes him a much different case than the average coaching candidate.

On Wednesday's episode of ESPN's "First Take," Smith positioned himself as an executive for a coach-needy team and explained why a Belichick pursuit would come with hesitation.

"One, there's no way in hell we want him to run the show," Smith said. "We want him to coach, but we don't want him to run the show. Secondly, and more importantly, even if he were to coach, isn't this the same dude that hired Matt Patricia and Joe Judge as offensive coordinators? And has derailed the career of Mac Jones, who was once an All-Pro in his rookie year and has gone from that to virtual obscurity because he's played like hot garbage? That was under Bill Belichick. And because of that, combined with his resume, I can see teams saying, 'We know we don't want him to run the show, but he's Bill Belichick.'"

It's starting to feel like Belichick and interested teams are waiting each other out to see who gives in first. Belichick might be holding out until a franchise accepts his full slate of demands, while teams could be hoping the coaching legend dials it back and accepts an offer that comes with less power.

But vacancies are filling up, thus leaving Belichick with fewer options. So, it might not be long until we learn what the 71-year-old is going to do in 2024.