AFC GM Was 'Tired of Losing' to Bill Belichick, 'Good' to See Him Sign UNC Contract
December 12, 2024
North Carolina announced it hired Bill Belichick as its next head coach Wednesday, which means those in the NFL don't have to worry about him in the immediate future.
"I was just tired of losing to him," an AFC general manager said, per Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports. "My thing is, good, go to college.
"Who knows if he'll win there, but I do know he can still here. And I know a lot of people didn't want to deal with an angry or extra motivated version of Coach Belichick. That's not a fun proposition."
Belichick may have had some additional motivation after no NFL team hired him last offseason when he and the New England Patriots parted ways. What's more, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday that there was a "sense" he wasn't going to generate much interest this offseason either.
Perhaps that led to his decision to accept a head coaching job at the college level for the first time in his career.
That means North Carolina has the same coach who reached nine Super Bowls and won six Lombardi Trophies during his time with the Patriots leading its program against ACC foes. His 333 combined regular-season and playoff wins are the second-highest mark in NFL history behind Don Shula's 347, and many of those wins came against AFC teams.
It comes as no surprise, then, that it was an AFC general manager who was relieved to see him go to the college game.
Maybe he will return to the NFL one day, but he is now starting a new challenge at 72 years old as he attempts to add to his already incredible legacy.
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