Bill Belichick Makes Decision on Pursuing NFL HC Job Amid Giants Rumors, Daboll Exit

UNC football head coach Bill Belichick announced that he will not be pursuing any NFL head coaching opportunities amid the head coaching vacancy at his old team, the New York Giants, where Belichick served as defensive coordinator from 1985-1990 and won two Super Bowls.

ESPN's Adam Schefter relayed the news.

The Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll on Monday after he went 20-40-1 in three-plus years at the helm. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka has taken over as interim head coach.

Belichick was an NFL coach from 1975-2023. His most notable stops were with the Giants, Cleveland Browns (as their head coach from 1991-1995) and New England Patriots as their head coach from 2000-2023. Belichick won six Super Bowls with the Pats.

The Pats and Belichick parted ways in 2023. Belichick took a year off before becoming UNC's head coach in 2025. He did interview for the NFL in 2024 and notably spoke with the Atlanta Falcons about their job before they went with Raheem Morris.

UNC has endured a tough 2025 after a 2-5 start, which included four losses by 25 or more points. However, the Tar Heels have won two straight games against Syracuse and Stanford to move to 4-5, and now the team has positioned itself to potentially make a bowl game.

Amid the team's rough start, Belichick said he was "fully committed" to the program, and athletic director Bubba Cunningham said the coach had the "full support" of UNC.

Friday's statement makes clear that Belichick, who signed a five-year contract, wants to stick around UNC and turn the program around.

The Tar Heels will look to move to .500 and win three straight on Saturday when they visit Wake Forest at 4:30 p.m. ET.