Cowboys could miss out on Bill Belichick after latest head coach search twist

The Dallas Cowboys may not be hiring Bill Belichick in the 2025 offseason if they decide to fire incumbent head coach Mike McCarthy, as Jerry Jones will likely need to give him a ton of control over the roster building approach. However, the Cowboys will assuredly give him a shot if he is available.

While Belichick has spent the last season as a very informative analyst on ESPN and other outlets, it's clear that he wants to get back in the proverbial saddle as a coach. All he has to do to get teams interested is slam his six Super Bowl rings down on the owner's desk.

While it is taken as assumed that Belichick is going to consider NFL jobs only, he has apparently decided to head down to the collegiate ranks to get an extra bargaining chip in his back pocket. This is one move that no one in their right mind saw coming as Belichick tries to get back in the game.

Belichick has reportedly interviewed for the head coaching vacancy at North Carolina. The Tar Heels are swinging for the fences after firing Mack Brown, interviewing Belichick and Steelers OC Arthur Smith. The Cowboys now have another competitor for Belichick in the mix.

Cowboys coaching target Bill Belichick interviews with North Carolina

Belichick has never been a coach at the college level. However, his father Steve served as the backfield coach at the Naval Academy for 33 years. North Carolina would also give Belichick control over the entire operation, which Jones seems unwilling to do.

Belichick going to Dallas would be a great hire based on his pedigree, but there are two main reasons this could go belly-up. First, Belichick might not be too sold on a Cowboys team that is good when healthy, but short of being able to compete for his seventh ring as a head coach.

Also, Belichick's defensive acumen was often betrayed by poor offensive coaching and scouting. While Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb already being in place could mitigate that, but even the last season of Tom Brady in New England looked grim offensively.

The Cowboys losing Belichick to college would be embarrassing if that's the guy Jones wants to reel in, but they need to prepare for this reality if they don't come with a strong enough offer.