And you thought Ben Johnson was exciting??
The Raiders' coaching search truly began today, 12 hours after it was announced that the team had fired Antonio Pierce after one season (and change) in charge. While it's still early in the process, reports of them reaching out to the Lions for interviews with Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn give legitimacy to the idea that the Raiders are taking big swings with their search.
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But is it really a big swing if they're only going after coaches who are actively available? I'd argue that really going for it means thinking outside the box in ways that are equal parts confusing and exciting. For instance, there's no way Bill Belichick actually wants to coach college football. I know he has that whole bit about how his first words were 'Beat Duke' or whatever but, come on. He wasn't the one turning down the Falcons job last year or the Jets job this season. But since he's already, you know, under contract with UNC, surely he's off the table, right?
Wrong! According to a new report(ish) from Tom Pelissero on Wednesday, the Raiders – more specifically, Tom Brady – have reached out to Belichick recently to "inquire about whether he would reconsider his move to college football." And not only that, but multiple teams have done the same.
Tom Brady might be trying to get Bill Belichick to leave UNC for the Raiders
Multiple NFL teams have inquired about whether legendary coach Bill Belichick would reconsider his move to college football – including the Raiders, whose new minority owner Tom Brady spoke recently with his old coach, per league sources. https://t.co/MoyG87epRv
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 8, 2025
I mean, there's no way this happens, right? This would be insane. Surely Belichick wouldn't accept a head coaching job only to walk away a few weeks later? That's not really his M.O. right? [Checks notes] Ah. Well. Maybe he just loves Chapel Hill already?
I don't see how this happens, but it's at least a little funny that everyone thought the Brady connection would lead to Mike Vrabel, when really none of us had a big enough imagination. We all failed to dream bigger. I don't know how Tom Telesco would feel about Belichick coming in, but I also do know that not a single Raiders fan cares about how Tom Telesco would feel. It feels emotionally irresponsible to buy into this story too much, but it's simply too late. I'm on board. Bill Belichick to the Raiders, book it.