How poetic would it be for the Cincinnati Bengals to hire the man who made the phrase, "We're on to Cincinnati" so iconic?
Well, there is some scuttlebutt out there that current North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick — still weird to type that out loud — is eyeing a return to the NFL ranks. At 73 years young, rumor has it that The Hoodie indeed wants back in to the pro game.
The latest buzz is too specific to be entirely false, and it arises from a reputable source. Can't wait to prove to you, reader, why many signs point to the Bengals.
Multiple NFL teams reportedly still covet Bill Belichick as a head coach — are the Bengals one of them?
In spite of his public announcement that he hasn't and will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies, Bill Belichick is being bandied about as a prime candidate on the impending offseason carousel. This according to veteran reporter Josina Anderson.
This intel from Anderson comes from the link above and a second X post here. She states in the first tweet that "at least two NFL teams" are expected to have interest in Belichick as a head coach, with a third team that could enter the mix, "if one specific personnel change is made under ownership."
Another key anecdote here:
"There's more to the story of why Belichick did not end up head coaching another NFL team a couple seasons ago--with his own desires & preferences regarding workplace dynamics playing more into a part of it, than I think has been discussed, publicly known, or given real credence."
Anderson's sources estimate there will be five openings across the league this offseason, plus a sixth that she's "waiting to collect more data on." There's also an established head coach who could be looking for "a change of scenery."
The more you read the tea leaves, the more it makes sense for Bill Belichick to be on to Cincinnati
OK. Why does this information via Anderson scream Belichick to the Bengals to me?
First of all, Belichick said he wasn't and will not pursue any coaching vacancies once Brian Daboll was fired by the Giants. Zac Taylor is still the head coach in Cincinnati — at least for now. Patience is wearing thin among fans with Taylor, and that could be true within the organization as well.
Something has to change for the Bengals. Their defense has been atrocious the last few years, and three seasons of Joe Burrow's prime, barring a miraculous rally in the coming weeks, will be wasted with no playoff football to show for it all.
Bengals chief exec Duke Tobin has drafted and built the roster so poorly. He needs to be let go. How much worse could Belichick fare, despite his own poor draft history toward the end of his time with the New England Patriots?
Bill Belichick the football historian would welcome the chance to join forces with Bengals owner Mike Brown
Bill Belichick is nothing if not a football junkie who has a deep reverence for the history of the game. Ohio is a pure football state steeped in tradition and lore. All it's missing is a Super Bowl pedigree. Belichick won six of those for New England.
Bengals owner Mike Brown's father was nicknamed, "The Man Who Invented Modern Football." You could easily see how Brown could be wooed by Belichick, and at least the appearance of bringing a radical change to the organization.
Think about it this way: Duke Tobin has held his job in the Bengals' front office longer than Belichick did as a six-time Super Bowl champ for the Patriots. Let that sink in for a second. Who better for Brown to shake things up with and give free rein to run the team as he sees fit than arguably the greatest coach of all-time?
It's clear Belichick will demand the power to decide personnel. I'm not a big believer in his abilities there, but it'd be legitimately shocking if he couldn't do a fraction better than Tobin. With a healthy Joe Burrow at quarterback, mere competence would be good enough.
Another shared quality between Belichick and Brown is frugality. I doubt at this point in his life that Belichick wants some humongous paycheck. Brown would oblige to some degree, but more importantly, Belichick grew used to cutting veterans earlier rather than later and tweaking his Patriots rosters on the cheap whenever possible.
It's a match made in football heaven from a pure business standpoint. Tell me I'm wrong!
The Bengals make way more sense than any other potential Bill Belichick suitor
Think about which NFL organization is best positioned to radically change how they approach their personnel department and give all the power to one man. Nobody comes close to fitting that description as well as the Bengals.
How about any of the other possibilities? The Giants have declared to anyone who'll listen they want no part of Belichick.
Although he did interview with the Atlanta Falcons before they hired Raheem Morris, Belichick doesn't make a lot of sense there, either. Yes, Atlanta fits the description of a "personnel change under ownership" thanks to GM Terry Fontenot's handling of the QB situation (see: paying huge money to Kirk Cousins, then drafting Michael Penix Jr. in the top 10 about a month later).
But like, that QB situation is exactly why Belichick should want no part of the Falcons gig. Penix has a long recovery ahead from an ACL tear. Cousins is nearing the end of his career. Atlanta didn't want to give Belichick the control he wanted last time around. Why would that change now?
Seriously, go through all the other prospective Belichick landing spots around the league.
You think he'd want to head out to Arizona to face Sean McVay, Mike Macdonald, and Kyle Shanahan six games a year in the NFC West? Uhh, no. The 1-10 Titans are multiple years away from being ready to contend.
Maybe the Dolphins gig comes open if they move off Mike McDaniel. I just don't see the appeal there for Belichick beyond playing twice against the Patriots.
So we've covered the two known openings in the Giants and Titans. Speculative vacancies for the Cardinals, Dolphins and Falcons. Maybe the Raiders go one-and-done with Pete Carroll, but there's a zero point zero percent chance Belichick joins forces with Tom Brady in Vegas. Don't even go there with the Jets, a floundering franchise Belichick might hate more than any other.
The fact that Anderson hints at a wild card/extra team who could have a vacancy throughout her reporting comes across as very suspect to me. And I swear I believe it implicates the Bengals.
Which other team surprise team fits the description Anderson provided?
Bill Belichick would do unspeakable things to destroy the Browns & rival Tom Brady's late-career act
Having an elite quarterback can mask a lot of flaws for an NFL franchise. Belichick knows the importance of that during his two decades alongside Brady. He'd have that in Cincinnati with Joe Burrow.
Once Brady moved on to the Bucs and won another Lombardi Trophy, it looked like Belichick lost his fastball. Maybe he just needed another exceptional quarterback to help him out.
Belichick is in the conversation as the greatest teacher of defense the sport has ever seen. Let him cook on that side of the ball. He'd have to make mere minimal adjustments to the offense thanks to the likes of Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee HIggins.
Oh, and the only defense that consistently gives the Bengals' high-powered offense fits is that of the Cleveland Browns. That franchise was where Belichick got his first crack as an NFL head coach. He despises them. Do you know how appealing it'd be for Belichick to go to a Browns rival and aim to annihilate them twice a year?
Melding the minds of Burrow on offense and Belichick on defense could be legendary for about a three-year run in Cincinnati. I'm just saying, if the rumors about Belichick are true, once you start thinking it through, the Bengals emerge as the likeliest landing spot.