Bill Belichick’s time in sports media may be a layover between head coaching jobs.
Belichick is slated to work for The CW’s “Inside the NFL” and with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions this upcoming season after parting ways with the Patriots.
Nevertheless, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, guest-hosting the “Rich Eisen Show” earlier this week, was of the belief that the 72-year-old Belichick is plotting a return to the sidelines.
“Bill Belichick intends to coach in 2025,” Pelissero said Wednesday.
“He’s staying engaged in the game. He’s showing up to roasts. He’s now going to be on ‘Inside the NFL.’ We’ve seen him showing up to different events, in high school, and at the Manning Passing Academy. We saw him at the University of Washington, where his son Steve is now the defensive coordinator.”
Pelissero said Belichick is using his time in media to prove to the world he’s not a grouch.
“He’ll be trying to better himself. He’ll be trying to remind you that he’s not Darth Vader, that there’s more to Bill Belichick. He’s done a good job of that so far through his media stuff. He won a Sports Emmy for ‘NFL 100′”.
After some banter around the Sports Emmys, Pelissero returned to the topic of Belichick.
“He’s fully invested — he wants to coach again,” the reporter said.
“He wants to pursue the all-time wins record. Those are things that really matter a lot to Bill Belichick.”
Belichick’s 333 combined regular season and playoff wins are 14 behind Don Shula’s 347 for most all-time.
Pelissero said a lot of people have been connecting Belichick to the Cowboys because of his relationship with Jerry Jones, but that he didn’t see that “as a fit,” whether or not Mike McCarthy is still coaching the team.
“I don’t really see Bill Belichick functioning in an environment where Jerry oversees personnel, and gives press conferences after games, and runs everything the way Jerry wants to,” Pelissero said.
“Jerry split up with Jimmy Johnson after two consecutive Super Bowl wins! … If Bill Belichick’s walking to the podium at AT&T Stadium, and being told, ‘Yeah, Jerry was outside saying he didn’t like that play call on 3rd and 7,’ how’s that going to go over?”