North Carolina made a significant financial commitment to lure legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick to Chapel Hill.
UNC and the 72-year old Belichick agreed to a five-year deal, the school announced. Terms of the deal have not been released yet, but The Athletic had originally reported the deal was in the ballpark of $10 million annually. That would be a big jump from the $5 million UNC paid Mack Brown, a national championship-winning coach, in his final season at the school.
Only seven coaches in FBS made over $10 million in 2024, a group that does not even include Ohio State coach Ryan Day or LSU coach Brian Kelly.
Initial reporting from The Athletic had Belichick's contract running at three years and $30 million, a stunningly low length of time that perplexed sources. A five-year deal would be standard. Schools dole out contracts of five years, perhaps six if the coach is particularly desirable, for recruiting purposes. Purdue recently gave new coach Barry Odom a six-year contract, for instance.
The legendary eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach has never coached in college football before committing to take over UNC's program. The former New England Patriots coach has reportedly been interested in a succession plan that would eventually pass the job to his son, Steve, who currently serves as Jedd Fisch's defensive coordinator at Washington.
Belichick, who worked with legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban while with the Cleveland Browns, won 333 games in 29 seasons as an NFL head coach. He was reportedly making $20 million annually as the New England Patriots' coach before being let go following the 2023 season. He interviewed multiple times for the Atlanta Falcons opening that eventually went to Raheem Morris, but after he didn't get an NFL coaching position last cycle, he has spent the 2024 season working in a variety of media roles including ESPN's ManningCast.
Belichick will replace the 73-year-old Brown who was fired after going 44-33 in six seasons at UNC. It was Brown's second stint leading the UNC program after a successful run 1988-97 that included six bowl appearances.
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