Roughly 24 hours after the news broke, the football community remained stunned over the fact that former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had interviewed with North Carolina regarding the Tar Heels’ head-coaching vacancy.

On Friday, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk echoed what’s become a popular take regarding Belichick’s true intentions.

“Here’s what I think Belichick is doing,” Florio wrote. “He’s telling NFL owners to s— or get off the pot. Any owner can talk to Belichick right now about any existing vacancy or an eventual one. And if he’s going to end up with no NFL job after the 2025 coaching carousel comes to a stop, he’d rather know now — before the college jobs are filled.”

Many assumed last January that Belichick was on track to become the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, but Falcons owner Arthur Blank ultimately chose Raheem Morris. One may never know if the Dallas Cowboys and/or Philadelphia Eagles “expressed interest in Belichick” but stuck with their head coaches after he “didn’t reciprocate,” but what is clear is that the 72-year-old didn’t come all that close to earning a different head-coaching job before he accepted multiple media opportunities for the ongoing season.

MassLive’s Karen Guregian reported on Thursday that sources said “the interest from Belichick and UNC may only be cosmetic at this point,” as “both sides would benefit from the exposure.” Per Reice Shipley of Awful Announcing, longtime college football insider Brett McMurphy suggested during an appearance on the “You Better You Bet” podcast that Belichick was sending a message to NFL owners that he could take a college job if they “are gonna keep screwing around.”

Insider repeats theory about Bill Belichick, North Carolina shocker

CBS Sports’ Will Brinson directly called the Belichick-North Carolina news “a giant publicity stunt” that was “purely superficial and designed to generate buzz around both parties.” As Guregian pointed out, Belichick is just 15 wins away from setting an NFL record for career victories earned by a head coach (regular season and postseason combined).

“Selecting Belichick now would violate the spirit of the Rooney Rule,” Florio acknowledged about an NFL team possibly wanting to hire the living legend before Week 18 ends. “Everyone involved would have to keep it quiet until the team complies with the letter of the league’s interview requirements.”

In other words, clubs with interim coaches such as the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and New York Jets could give Belichick a call today. Additionally, a franchise with a head coach employed could share a hint or two with Belichick’s camp about a possible divorce that may or may not take place in January.

Florio and others seem to believe Belichick isn’t convinced he’s going to hear from a plethora of NFL teams after Christmas. If he doesn’t, some may ask if Patriots owner Robert Kraft warned his peers about doing business with the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach.