Bill Belichick (Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is reportedly eyeing a struggling AFC team as his next destination if he returns to the sidelines next year.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots parted ways after the 2023 season last January. He was expected to be one of the most sought-after coaches in the hiring cycle, but nobody hired the six-time Super Bowl champion.

The Atlanta Falcons were the only team that interviewed Belichick, but they hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris for the HC position instead.

In the latest episode of the “Scoop City” podcast, The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini reported that Bill Belichick “has his eye on” the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are likely to fire Doug Pederson amid a disastrous season.

“Let’s get into this because there’s a lot of chatter about Bill Belichick taking that job. I can tell you that Belichick certainly has his eye on this Jacksonville opening. This is an organization that has tons of respect for Belichick. They’ve got a good relationship already.”

Russini added that the Jaguars want “structure…good situational football…a coach that can maximize talents, specifically on defense.”

The Jaguars haven’t had any coaching stability since moving on from Jack Del Rio, who coached the team from 2003 to 2011. Assuming they fire Pederson, Jacksonville will enter 2025 with their fourth head coach in six years (Doug Marrone in 2020, Urban Meyer in 2021).

But as Russini and co-host Chase Daniel discussed, Belichick’s age could be a factor in the Jaguars’ potential pursuit of the legendary head coach. He’ll be 73 next year, and it’s anyone’s guess how much longer he’ll want to coach.

Bill Belichick Should Attract Plenty Of Interest

There’s no shortage of teams who should seriously look at hiring Bill Belichick when January rolls around. The Jaguars are a mess this year, but their back-to-back winning seasons in 2022 and 2023 suggest that the club might just be one good coaching hire away from returning to relevance.

The Dallas Cowboys should go big-game hunting if (when?) they move on from Mike McCarthy, and Belichick might like the opportunity to coach a big-market team and historic organization.

Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears would benefit from a coach like Belichick as well. Could the New York Jets make a splash? What about the Las Vegas Raiders, who just brought in Tom Brady as a minority owner?