The Commanders have hired former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their new head coach. With that position now taken, all of the head coaching jobs in the NFL are now filled. There are several big names that got left out during this hiring cycle, most notably Bill Belichick. Most people consider him to be the best coach of all time but after a poor finish in New England he will not be coaching any team next season. Which makes me wonder, is Bill Belichick done coaching…forever.

Struggled Without Brady

That may seem crazy to say, I mean he is only 15 wins away from having the most by a head coach in NFL history. But let’s take a look at a few things. First, his record without Tom Brady has not been good. Since that time his Patriots were 29-38. That includes a 4-13 record last season. That has obviously been a point for people to say that Brady was the real reason things were so good. That is probably not completely fair but it is a point that is out there.

The League Has Changed

The next thing I looked at is the fact that the league has changed and most teams seem to be going for younger head coaches with bright and shiny ideas. Basically, teams are trying to find a Bill Belichick in the making. 10 of the head coaches in the league are 40 years old or younger. 17 are 45 years old or younger. And a lot of those coaches are having success. It feels like teams are trying to find young coaches that can build something quickly and then keep it going for 10, 15, 20 years. Belichick interviewed twice for the Falcons head coaching job. You’d think the greatest head coach of all time would just get any job he wants right away no questions asked. He interviewed twice and didn’t get the job.

Age

Here’s the big one which I kind of already touched on. Bill Belichick is old. In coaching terms, he is really old. Like the 5th oldest head coach in NFL history old. The oldest head coach of all time was Romeo Crennel at 73. And that was only in an interim role for the Texans. Then there’s George Halas, Marv Levy, and Pete Carroll who were all 72. Pete Carroll is a Super Bowl winning coach. He got fired this year just like Belichick, and he didn’t get a job for next season either.

Outlook

Belichick is 71. He will be 72 before next season starts. Now we know he won’t be coaching next season, so at best he gets a job in 2025, when he would be 73. And the oldest head coach of all time. Is a team really going to bring in a guy that old, even if that guy is a 6 time Super Bowl winner? Most teams that are looking for a head coach are teams that are trying to rebuild. Do they want a coach that would probably only be around for at best 5 years? So he gets the team turned around and then he’s gone and you have to start over? I think that’s unlikely. But we did see this year that it can happen quickly with Demeco Ryans and the Texans. So maybe.

Or maybe there’s a chance that a team with a lot of talent has another disappointing playoff loss and decides there needs to be a change at head coach to get over the hump. A team like the Cowboys or the Eagles. But with the youth movement in the NFL I would think that would be unlikely. I hope it’s not over. I want to see Bill Belichick break the all time wins record. But do think the chances of him being done for good are higher than anybody wants to admit.

Anyway, if you can’t get enough of coaching stuff, go read my break down of Alabama’s new DC, Kane Wommack. And if you are an Alabama fan, college sports fan, or just feeling generous, go follow me on Twitter/X here. And let me know if you think Bill Belichick will be a head coach in the NFL again.