North Carolina, Bill Belichick intensify contract talks

One of the NFL's greatest coaches could be taking his talent to campus after all.

Bill Belichick interviewed with North Carolina to replace Mack Brown as head coach and the two sides are working to iron out details of an agreement, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

Belichick, 72, told The Pat McAfee Show on Monday he's had conversations with the university leadership and was interested in become head coach of the Tar Heels.

The Tar Heels retained an outside advisory firm to identify coaching candidates to replace Brown, whom they fired at the end of the regular season. North Carolina went 6-6, including 3-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Two other prominent names that were initially in the mix for the North Carolina head coaching job have dropped off. Jon Sumrall has reportedly told Tulane that he plans to stay as head coach of the Green Wave. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, a 2005 graduate of North Carolina, has informed the school he intends to stay with the Steelers.

North Carolina has reportedly also spoken to Army head coach Jeff Monken, whose team was a perfect 8-0 in their first season in the American Athletic Conference and finished 11-1 overall. Monken is also a possibility for the West Virginia head coaching vacancy left by Neal Brown's dismissal, according to multiple reports.

After 24 seasons with the Patriots and six Super Bowl titles in nine appearances, Belichick was replaced owner Robert Kraft in New England before the 2024 season.

He was a finalist to become head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, but owner Arthur Blank opted for Raheem Morris.

Belichick needs 14 wins to break the all-time wins record for NFL coaches held by Don Shula. But according to reports earlier this week, he was surprised not to hear from the NFL teams with existing vacancies.

--Field Level Media