When legendary head coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways, it was widely expected that Belichick would take a year off before deciding his coaching future, with most anticipating his return to the NFL.
Instead, Belichick surprised nearly everyone by accepting an offer to become head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, taking his son, Steve Belichick, along with him. The father-and-son tandem worked together in New England before Steve became the Defensive Coordinator for the Washington Huskies in 2024.
Potential Exit Strategy for North Carolina, Bill Belichick?
North Carolina entered the season with plenty of excitement, but the season has been a complete disaster thus far.
After a 48-14 season-opening defeat at the hands of TCU, the Heels defeated Charlotte 20-3 and Richmond 41-6. They then faced off against two struggling Power-4 teams and were not competitive, losing 34-9 at UCF and then suffering a 38-10 home loss to Clemson.
Thus far, North Carolina has a PFSN defensive impact grade of just 74.4, good for 15th (out of 17) in the ACC and 80th in the country. Their offense has been even worse, ranking 16th in the ACC and 101st in the country with a grade of 71.1.
With their struggles, rumors are already beginning to swirl that Belichick could again be out of a job.
READ MORE: North Carolina in Meltdown as Another Bill Belichick Mistake Deepens Locker Room Crisis
Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, in a story initially reported by Andrew Jones of 247Sports.com, “potential exit strategy discussions” took place on Wednesday morning. Although Florio reports that “it doesn’t mean Belichick will be fired, “preliminary conversations” about the possibility have occurred.
It’s not just on-field issues – numerous problems have also occurred off-field. Belichick has reportedly banned Patriots scouts from the North Carolina facility, which may be leading to player fallout.
The Heels were also set to have their own Hulu series about this season’s squad, but that has been canceled, and fans have jokingly blamed Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, for her role
Could North Carolina Get Out of Bill Belichick’s Buyout?
Of course, if the two sides do want to part ways, the big question surrounds Belichick’s buyout, which is reportedly set at $20 million.
According to Florio, there may be a way around that buyout following the suspension of secondary coach and recruiting analyst Armond Hawkins.
Hawkins reportedly “provided extra benefits by giving a player’s family members sideline passes to a game.”
“It’s an allegation that lands in the general neighborhood of the kind of thing that could potentially lay the foundation for a termination of Belichick’s contract for cause – especially if the basis for the suspension wasn’t an isolated occurrence,” Florio wrote.
“It would be foolish to think someone at UNC hasn’t at least entertained the possibility of moving on from Belichick without owing him upwards of $20 million.
Even if North Carolina can’t get out of the deal for cause, there may be another way out. Per Ollie Connolly of The Guardian, Belichick has discussed buy-out options.
Per sources: Bill Belichick has discussed buyout options with North Carolina’s hierarchy. Belichick has signalled a willingness to trigger his own $1 million buyout if he can find a soft landing with another team or in media
— Ollie Connolly (@OllieConnolly) October 8, 2025
With North Carolina’s struggles and Belichick clearly better suited for the pro game, a buyout like this could be very tempting.
Belichick seemingly was viewed as a success on television and finding a gig there probably would not prove to be difficult if he can’t find a head coaching gig.
All of those factors certainly make this a situation to monitor closely.
