UNC football coach Bill Belichick signs contract, putting end to speculation about future
Bill Belichick has signed his head football coaching contract at North Carolina, which will likely put an end to the enduring speculation that he might have interest in returning to the NFL before ever coaching a college game.
Belichick, who became the most accomplished head coach in NFL history during his 24 seasons with the New England Patriots, was introduced as UNC’s coach last month, on Dec. 11. He had not signed his contract, though, until Wednesday. Other parties who needed to add their signatures, including chancellor Lee Roberts and Bubba Cunningham, the athletics director, did so Thursday.
While it is not necessarily unusual throughout college athletics for coaches to delay signing their contracts, Belichick’s unsigned contract at UNC fueled rumors and speculation that he might abruptly leave UNC to accept a head coaching position in the NFL.
This, though, will put an end to all of the talk about his future. At least for now.
The terms of Belichick’s deal with UNC, announced last month after he was introduced as the Tar Heels’ head coach, include an annual salary of $10 million over five years. Only the first three of those years, though, are guaranteed. Belichick can also earn as much as $3.5 million per year in bonuses.
If Belichick were to terminate his contract before June 1, he’d owe the university $10 million. His buyout drops to $1 million if he leaves any time after June 1.
In hiring Belichick — who has never coached in any capacity in college and who will be 73 at the start of next season — UNC has made a bold and unprecedented financial commitment to its football program. In addition to Belichick’s salary, valued at $50 million over five years, the school agreed to an annual investment of more than $16 million for assistant coaches and support staff.
UNC has also committed to spend $13 million annually in revenue sharing with football players, pending the final approval later this year of the House Settlement, which for the first time will allow schools to share revenue directly with athletes.
Roberts after a UNC Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday said the reaction in the university community to Belichick’s hiring has “been even more overwhelmingly positive than we expected.”
“We’re just overjoyed with the hire,” he said. “It’s a new era for Tar Heel football. We’ve been playing football here since 1888 and we believe the best days are yet to come.”
He also dismissed concerns surrounding the considerable costs associated with hiring Belichick.
“We obviously wouldn’t do it if we didn’t think it was a wise investment,” Roberts said. “And it’s still early, but we couldn’t feel better about where we are with that investment.”
Staff writer Korie Dean contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 11:26 AM.
