Could Belichick Return to the NFL in 2024… as a Consultant? originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Would a sweeping change to the NFL’s starting rules help Bill Belichick find a job this year?
We know that Belichick will not be an NFL head coach in 2024 because several teams passed him after he and the New England Patriots parted ways in January. But if Belichick is open to a smaller role, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes a unique opportunity could present itself.
Florio argued in a column Thursday that teams should consider hiring Belichick as a consultant to get his thoughts on the NFL’s revised starting rulewhich completely changes the traditional game.
“Many independent coaches and personnel executives do a lot of consulting for teams,” Florio wrote. “As far as we know, the rules are that there are no rules. (Belichick) could, in theory, make a lot of money by going from team to team to share his ideas about what can or should be done when shooting the ball or receiving the shot.”
Florio’s idea makes sense on paper; Belichick is a brilliant football mind with a known affinity for special teams, and he undoubtedly has unique views on how teams should approach the new kickoff rules. If a club is looking to gain an advantage over its competitors, it’s hard to imagine a better resource than Belichick in this department.
In reality, this deal would require some pride on both sides: Belichick may feel rejected by the teams that ignored him and refuse to offer his services (even if they are paid), while NFL coaches and general managers may not love the idea of seeking help from Belichick instead of his in-house special teams staff.
But Florio suggested that NFL owners could avoid this problem by asking Belichick for advice without telling their teams.
“Even if the current coaching staff bristled at the idea of bringing him in for a day of brainstorming, ownership should solicit his ideas, pay for them if necessary, and then pass them on to the head coach, without saying where the ideas came from. came. of”, wrote Florio.
It’s unclear if Belichick would be open to this, but he appears to have a lot of time on his hands; the 71 year old man was seen at the University of Washington where his son, Steve Belichick, is the new defensive coordinator, and also spoke in a recent University of Nebraska Coaching Clinic.
