Rich Cimini, ESPN staff writer
Jacksonville, Florida—— new york jets The head coaching position is open, and until this week, Bill Belichick needed a job. This leads to the unthinkable.
Belichick quit the Jets in 2000 and tormented the Jets for two decades as head coach. new england patriotsThe coach, who has recently been critical of owner Woody Johnson, reached out personally about the vacancy, a source confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.
The Athletic first reported that Belichick’s team had reached out to the Jets, while the New York Post reported that Belichick himself made the inquiry. The Jets fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 7 without formal discussions with them.
A source close to Belichick expressed serious doubts about whether he was truly interested and suggested it might just be due diligence. Belichick evaluates NFL openings and potential openings before accepting University of North Carolina ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reports that he’s working.
Belichick has expressed disdain for the Jets for years, so a reunion was never a realistic possibility. The question is moot now that Belichick was named coach of the Tar Heels on Thursday, but it’s a surprising development for historical reasons.
In various media roles, Belichick criticized Johnson’s decision to fire Saleh just five games into the season. The vitriol goes back twenty-five years.
Belichick served under Bill Parcells from 1997 to 1999 before leaving the Jets on the day he was supposed to succeed Parcells as “New York Jets” Resigned as captain. Belichick resigned in part because he didn’t want to work for Johnson, who had just purchased the team.
Belichick sued to terminate his contract with the Jets and was eventually traded to New England, where he won six Super Bowls.
In 2007, the Jets revealed that Belichick illegally filmed coaches during games, triggering the spygate scandal.
On November 25, Johnson announced the hiring of Team 33 to assist the Jets in their search for a new coach and new general manager. General manager Joe Douglas was fired on Nov. 19.
Saleh and Douglas were replaced by interim leaders Jeff Umbridge and Phil Savage, respectively.
