The first Sunday of the NFL season has arrived, albeit without Bill Belichick on the sidelines for the Patriots for the first time in the 2000s.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach “still would like to return to coaching in 2025,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The 72-year-old Belichick “is expected to be choosy if and when he returns to the sideline,” Schefter wrote, adding that the former Giants and Jets defensive coordinator was considered in that capacity by both the 49ers and the Rams after he parted ways with the Pats following last year’s 4-13 finish in New England.
Belichick ranks second all-time in coaching wins with 333 (including playoffs), 14 behind Don Shula’s mark of 347.
The Patriots, who will face the Bengals on Sunday in their season opener, hired Jerod Mayo as Belichick’s replacement.
Belichick will be working in various media jobs this season, including regularly scheduled appearances on ESPN’s “ManningCast” on Monday nights and a weekly spot on the network’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
He also will serve as an analyst on “Inside the NFL” and on his own football show on YouTube TV, in addition to appearing on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go!” podcast, which previously featured Tom Brady.
Belichick “still would like to return to the right spot as a head coach in 2025, if the right opportunity presents itself,” Schefter wrote, and his media obligations will enable him to “be able to keep a close eye on the league, track its players and be ready to coach again if the right call comes.”