Bill Belichick’s staff at North Carolina is slow to take shape

It has been one month and one day since North Carolina introduced Bill Belichick as the program’s new head coach. Belichick has yet to hire many employees.

The situation is not fraying nerves in Chapel Hill regarding the possibility of Belichick activating his $10 million buyout and withdrawing from the NFL. Separately and aside from the question of whether another team would hire him (the Raiders aren’t interested, even if Belichick would like people to think they are), UNC is bracing for the possibility of Belichick leaving shortly after his arrival.

look at me The appointments he made. Freddie Kitchens, a former staff member, serves as offensive coordinator. Bill’s son, Steve, is the defensive coordinator. Matt Lombardi, son of GM Mike Lombardi, is an offensive assistant. Chris Jones, the former CFL coach who worked for Kitchens in 2019, is a defensive assistant. Billy Miller is the Public Office Assistant. Moses Cabrera, who worked for Belichick in New England, is the strength and conditioning coach.

Even though there’s $10 million to spend on the coaching staff and another $1 million on strength and conditioning, that’s about it. In more than a month.

No, Patricia died. No judge Joe. There are no other Belichick disciples.

Maybe it’s part of a broader plan. Regardless, it makes people nervous, from the athletic director down to (so we’re told) the ACC commissioner.

Again, the concerns won’t have any impact unless someone in the NFL hires Belichick. And repeated criticism of the NFL in general and some teams specifically by Mike Lombardi won’t help the effort. And there won’t be the perception/reality that it’s impossible to hire Belichick without essentially letting him run the show.

Based on current openings, it likely won’t happen this year, when the buyout is still worth $10 million. That could happen next year, when the buyout value drops to $1 million. Regardless, everything we’ve heard in recent weeks indicates that Belichick wants to return to the NFL, and that he’s taking the UNC Bird in hand because no one will give him a commitment with the head that, after the 2024 season, he’ll have a head coaching job in pro football.

The only likely destination for viewing is Tampa Bay, for two reasons. First, ownership has done some unconventional things in the last 16 years, from the abrupt firing of Jon Gruden and the promotion of Raheem Morris to the firing of Morris and the ill-fated hiring of Greg Schiano to the firing of Lovie Smith and the promotion of Dirk. Koetter to “retire” Bruce Arians and promote Todd Balls. Second, Lombardi has been publicly spreading a rumor that Bowles might retire before Belichick takes the North Carolina job.

Now, even though the Bulls have three straight division titles, who knows what the Bucs might think if Belichick was in play?

There is another complication when it comes to Belichick’s potential return to the NFL. There may not be room for Lombardi. Ultimately, Belichick will have to decide how much he wants to chase Don Shula’s record for wins, and whether he wants it badly enough to leave Lombardi in the land of tobacco and basketball.