Before Bill Belichick guided the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships, he famously resigned as head coach of the New York Jets in January 2000 without having ever coached a game for the organization.
NFL reporter Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports suggested Belichick could return “home” to the Jets if rumblings about the club possibly parting ways with current coach Robert Saleh either during or after the season prove accurate.
“Keep in mind that Woody Johnson was still a week away from owning the Jets when Belichick quit on them,” Vacchiano explained, “and at least some things have changed since then. Also, Belichick is known for holding grudges, and what better way to get back at (Patriots owner) Robert Kraft for not bringing him back than to go coach for his intra-division rival?”
Like others before him, Vacchiano also linked Belichick with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars were recently named a “sneaky” potential landing spot for Belichick, but the all-time great could pass on trying to fix Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence to instead coach future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers said this past summer he wants to give the Jets at least “two great years” coming off the torn Achilles he suffered in September 2023, and he could soon become interested in Johnson making a change if a club that was expected to compete for at least a division title falls to 2-3 on the season. Meanwhile, Belichick remains just 15 wins away from setting an NFL record for career victories earned by a head coach (regular season and postseason combined) and likely will want to join an advertised contender this coming January.
“Belichick could be an outstanding short-term fit for a team with a short-term quarterback and short-term goals,” Vacchiano added about the coach possibly doing business with the Jets this winter. “It would also generate headlines in New York — something that attention-starved organization loves.”
It’s unclear if Rodgers would sign off on the Jets showing offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett the door so Belichick could come in as a supposed franchise savior. Hackett was Rodgers’ OC with the Green Bay Packers from 2019-21 and is adored by the signal-caller.
Perhaps Belichick would keep Hackett around to appease Rodgers.
