Roger Goodell Weighs In On Bill Belichick Not Coaching Next Season

The streak of Bill Belichick holding an NFL coaching job looks like it will come to an end next season after nearly half a century.

Belichick, who interviewed twice with the Atlanta Falcons, unexpectedly couldn’t land a head coaching job this offseason, which was a surprise to plenty around the league, including a two-time New England Patriots captain.

While Roger Goodell has more pressing matters to attend to than Belichick’s job status, the NFL commissioner weighed in on the legendary head coach not coaching during the 2024 season at his annual pre-Super Bowl press conference on Monday.

“I’ve talked to him since the end of the season,” Goodell told reporters, per The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin. “I think he’s done so much for this league. He’s changed the game in many ways, he’s brought innovation and I don’t think anyone can take anything away from his record.”

Belichick, who entered the league as special assistant with the Baltimore Colts in 1975, does have options for the coming season even if it’s not on an NFL sideline. He could make the jump into television and use his intimate and expansive knowledge of the sport to entertain NFL fans or he could sit back and relax until a job comes open for the 2025 season.

That’s the reality of the situation Belichick faces since he couldn’t get one of the seven head coaching vacancies this offseason. But Goodell believes Belichick won’t be on the outside looking in on the NFL landscape for long.

“I think he’ll be missed,” Goodell told reporters, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “But I have a feeling he’ll still be around the game.”