NFL Legend J.J. Watt Has Theory About Jobless Bill Belichick

J.J. Watt believes a number of NFL teams will enter next offseason with feelings of regret.

The most decorated -- and arguably the greatest -- football coach of all time was up for grabs at the conclusion of the 2023 regular season. But for whatever reason, no one wanted Bill Belichick, who reportedly only drew consideration from two teams after leaving the New England Patriots. Belichick now will have to wait until the 2025 coaching cycle for an opportunity to return to an NFL sideline.

The Belichick shutout marked the second consecutive offseason in which a league standout drew surprisingly minimal interest. Watt has a feeling those instances will produce similar outcomes.

"Last year teams came out and openly said, 'We're not interested, we're not interested,'" Watt told The Boston Globe's Ben Volin. "Now, just about every single one of those teams probably should have been interested in Lamar Jackson."

'"I do wonder if a year from now, we're going to be looking back and saying, 'Hey, you might have wanted to take a look at Bill Belichick.'"

There's a chance a year off actually ends up benefitting Belichick in the long run. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and a coach-needy team might be willing to make the future Pro Football Hall of Famer an off-the-charts offer if the overall coaching pool isn't very strong next year.

So, don't be surprised if Belichick starts to make many folks look foolish starting in the fall of 2025.