Report: Bill Belichick, UNC Nearing HC Contract; Sides Working Through 'Issues'

North Carolina is finalizing a contract that will make Bill Belichick the Tar Heels' next head coach, but there remain "issues that both sides need to work through," according to ESPN's Pete Thamel and Chris Low.

Topics yet to be resolved include a job for Belichick's son, Stephen Belichick, as well as NIL funding, staff salary and North Carolina's "reporting structure," per Thamel and Low.

Despite these issues, there is "a growing sentiment within UNC the deal is close," per CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones.

North Carolina and Belichick have "worked through financial terms the last 24 hours, in hopes a deal gets done today," according to Pat Forde and Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

UNC would need to convene an emergency board of trustees meeting in order to approve any final contract. The meeting had not been called as of 3 p.m. ET, per Forde.

According to Thamel and Low, sources said the ball is currently "in Belichick's court."

Thamel and Low reported that North Carolina's NIL collective has "hypothetically discussed players' potential interest in anticipation of Belichick taking the job."

The Tar Heels are currently hoping to replenish a roster left thin after three starters entered the transfer portal on Monday, as well as resolve the uncertainty plaguing the future of the program since Mack Brown's firing was announced on Nov. 26.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday that Belichick met for "five hours" with UNC officials.

Belichick then discussed his potential goals for a college football program, while emphasizing that he had not yet accepted a job, in a Monday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Ollie Connolly of The Guardian reported on Tuesday that Belichick had informed UNC he wanted to see changes regarding salary and organizational structure before agreeing to the job.

Connolly had previously reported that Belichick's negotiations included "a guarantee that Stephen Belichick will be named the school's head coach in waiting." Stephen, who previously worked on the Patriots staff from 2012 to 2023, is currently serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington.

Belichick has never before coached at the college level, and last coached at any level during his final campaign with the Patriots in 2023. He closed out his New England career having claimed eight Super Bowl victories, including two as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants and six as head coach of the Patriots.