We now know the real reason Bill Belichick left the NFL for college football

When Robert Kraft fired Bill Belichick at the beginning of the year, he was immediately deemed the top free agent head coach for every team looking to hire someone new for the position for the 2024 season and beyond. There were seven teams ready to bring in someone to lead their team to success, and who better than the guy who dominated the league for over 20 years in New England?

Unfortunately, that wasn't how most teams with vacancies felt, as only the Falcons decided to interview Belichick before hiring a new head coach. He appeared to be the favorite and not far from signing a contract, only for owner Arthur Blank to mysteriously change his mind and move in another direction.

So Belichick decided to join the media in the interim and, as expected, absolutely thrived in his new role. It was suspected to be temporary, and he would return to an NFL sideline in 2025, making his decision to sign on with the University of North Carolina that much more shocking.

Just like this past offseason, it was assumed he would be the leading candidate for head coach needy teams, with franchises like the Cowboys, Giants, and Jaguars leading the rumors. All appeared to be good choices, especially Dallas, but Belichick's decision to skip the interview process and accept a job in the NCAAF put his NFL desires on the back burner.

But why?

There are plenty of rumors suggesting why such an accomplished and respected head coach would give up the success he had in the NFL to move to college football, something many have stated is a demotion of sorts. However, the latest reporting from ESPN's Seth Wickersham paints a much different yet understandable reason for Belichick's decision.

Bill Belichick's growing disdain for the NFL lead his move to UNC

In his lengthy piece discussing all things Belichick on Thursday, Wickersham revealed the latest from sources closest to the former Patriots head coach and his frustration with what has taken place in the NFL recently.

Besides his anger from being fired earlier this year, he is said to be "disgusted" with what the NFL has become, with one source believing his decision not to return to the league was a "big f--- you to the NFL."

On top of that lasting frustration (which isn't entirely unwarranted, mind you), Belichick is also said to have looked into the presumed upcoming head coach vacancies across the NFL, with the most prominent being the Bears, Cowboys, Giants, Jaguars, and Jets. After exploring them all and the possibilities of any being interested in him, some of which have already made it clear they wouldn't be, Belichick chose not to even test out the process next offseason and choose his own path right now, and that was to become the next head coach in Chapel Hill.

It was months in the making, and he spent a lot of time looking into college programs, especially with his son Stephen at the University of Washington. This heightened his desire to coach where he had never had before, and the chance to go where his Dad once worked was too good to pass up.

Given how the past few years have gone for the legendary coach, mainly in the post-Tom Brady era, it's unsurprising that he chose to move on somewhere else to continue his legacy. The NFL has proven time and time again not to respect all that he has accomplished, and this past year further proved he was right to feel that way.

Now, we can see how the accomplished coach will do in an entirely new scenery and how he develops the next crop of promising recruits hoping to make it to the NFL. Maybe he will coach one of the next-best future Patriots. Time will tell, and it'll be exciting to watch.

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