Bill Belichick Return? These Coaches Should Be Looking Over Shoulder In 2024

Bill Belichick might not be patrolling a sideline as the 2024 NFL season begins, but the legendary head coach still casts a sizable shadow.

The eight-time Super Bowl champion finds himself in an unfamiliar spot this summer. For the first time since 1974, he is jobless as training camp begins after he and the New England Patriots parted ways earlier this year following a historic 21-year run.

Belichick has since put on his media cap, and he'll be an undeniable presence in that regard for as long as he wants, beginning with the upcoming campaign. Whether he'll return to coaching isn't totally known yet, but all signs point to him wanting to return, especially given his proximity to Don Shula on the all-time wins list for NFL head coaches.

Despite Belichick's lack of a coaching gig, ESPN's Dan Graziano recently tabbed him one of the 10 people who could shape the next 365 days of the NFL. According to Graziano, "people close to Belichick say they believe he still wants to coach," noting Belichick's presence "means that just about every coach who's on the hot seat will probably have to deal with speculation that Belichick is looking over his shoulder and that his bosses might be considering hiring Belichick."

Graziano also positioned Belichick's potential return as a 2025 storyline, but what if a supposed contender stumbles out of the gate in 2024? With training camp underway across the league, NESN.com's Mike Cole and Ricky Doyle dug into the Belichick story on this week's episode of "The Spread" podcast.

Here are the teams they're keeping an eye on when it comes to Belichick's potential landing spot ... even (or perhaps especially) if it comes this season.

Philadelphia Eagles (Nick Sirianni)
A talented roster with a quarterback who at least has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career checks a lot of boxes for Belichick.

"Philly makes all the sense in the world," Cole argued. "It's not very far from (New England). I think you can get on a private jet and be in Nantucket in probably an hour. There's a quarterback situation that's … not bad. Jalen Hurts is the kind of quarterback we might ask in 10 years, 'Is he good?' and we won't still totally know, but it's good enough.

Buffalo Bills (Sean McDermott)
Another intriguing option is a longtime rival of Belichick: the Buffalo Bills.

"I think McDermott is probably on some relatively thin ice," Cole said. "I do think, I buy into the spite thing … the idea he can come back and shove it up (the Kraft family's backside) is probably pretty appealing to someone who at least seems vengeful or spiteful."

Dallas Cowboys (Mike McCarthy)
Then there's Dallas. As Doyle pointed out, that connection is nothing new, and with McCarthy entering the final year of his contract, he'll be under Jerry Jones' microscope from the jump.

"There's been a bit of that Cowboys smoke for, what, two years now?" Doyle said. "Even before last season, I feel like there was "Well, if Mike McCarthy gets fired after this season, Belichick is trending in the wrong direction in New England, maybe that's where he goes and he can stick to Kraft as part of that whole deal. But I dunno, I feel like Dallas from a roster standpoint might be trending in the wrong direction. That feels ready-made now, but I don't know if a year from now we're having the same conversation about them."

The duo also dived into some long-shot options. Sportsbooks have a team like the Baltimore Ravens at 75-1 for Belichick's next gig, but if John Harbaugh decided he wanted a change, a return to Maryland for the Navy-loving Belichick seems like the perfect full-circle ending -- especially with Lamar Jackson under center. There's also a compelling case, as Doyle argued, for a team like the Jacksonville Jaguars.

You can hear the entire discussion and listen to the full episode of "The Spread" on Spotify by clicking here.