January 11, 2024

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There’s never been a football coaching market like this one, with Nick Saban and Bill Belichick leaving their iconic roles and plenty of big jobs and bigger names available. … Belichick’s departure from New England raises the question of which team will pay up for The Hoodie …. And the Patriots hit the reset button after an era that made the franchise one of the world’s top sports brands.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Bill Belichick Ends Legendary—and Lucrative—Run With the Patriots [[link removed]]

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick are mutually parting ways after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl victories together.

Belichick, who turns 72 in April, had one year remaining on a contract that reportedly earned him $25 million annually, more than any other coach in the NFL. The Patriots are estimated to have paid [[link removed]] him at least $200 million during his tenure. Belichick has 333 career wins, 14 shy of Don Shula’s NFL record 347, but in four seasons without Tom Brady, he is just 29-37 with one playoff appearance.

The Patriots are letting their old coach leave on his own accord and won’t seek compensation from his next team. During a press conference on Thursday, an emotional Belichick made it clear he isn’t done coaching. “We’re going to move on,” he said. “I look forward, and [I’m] excited for the future.”

Who Will Pay up for the Hoodie?

Outside of New England, there are currently seven other head coaching openings: in Atlanta, Carolina, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (Chargers), Seattle, Tennessee, and Washington. Belichick is expected to still command a top—if not the highest—salary in the NFL.

The Falcons, Seahawks, and Titans notably have general managers still in place, while the other four teams are searching for a coach and GM. Belichick operated as both for the Patriots during his 24 years in New England.

Is TV in His Future, Too?

While Belichick will likely continue to work elsewhere in the NFL for the time being, when the legendary coach does retire, he’ll have strong interest from TV networks looking to hire him as an analyst, multiple executives told [[link removed]] Front Office Sports reporter Michael McCarthy last year.

A move to TV could provide another nice payday for Belichick. Top agents estimated that he could earn $8 million to $10 million as a studio analyst—and double that as a No. 1 game analyst.

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What We’re Hearing On: Saban’s Future

On Wednesday, sources told Front Office Sports that ESPN has long had eyes on now-former Alabama coach Nick Saban; one source said he was the “ perfect successor [[link removed]] to Lee Corso on the iconic College GameDay.”

—Amanda Christovich and Michael McCarthy

Welcome To the Wildest Football Job Fair Ever [[link removed]]

Montgomery

Over the course of just a few days, the football coaching market has been flooded in unprecedented fashion, leaving more top available jobs and talent than arguably at any point ever—setting up a ripple effect that will ultimately reach dozens of pro and college teams.

Beginning with the NFL’s Black Monday [[link removed]] and continuing with the stunning departures of Nick Saban [[link removed]] and Bill Belichick [[link removed]] from their iconic roles, the pro and college coaching market is positively teeming. Among the top available jobs and coaches:

Open NFL head coaching slots in Atlanta, Carolina, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (Chargers), New England, Seattle, Tennessee, and Washington—a quarter of the entire NFL. The newly opened head coaching job at Alabama, obviously one of college football’s foremost programs, and then perhaps a head coaching job vacated by the person taking the Crimson Tide position. Saban and Belichick—previously the highest-paid college and pro coaches, as well as football giants with a long history together [[link removed]]—hitting the open market, alongside recently fired NFL head coaches Mike Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, Frank Reich, and Ron Rivera, and possibly former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Michigan’s championship-winning coach Jim Harbaugh [[link removed]] (and the Wolverines job if he leaves).

“When a job like Alabama opens up and you’re looking at Michigan potentially opening as well, that will create a lot of dominoes,” says a prominent talent agent speaking to Front Office Sports on condition of anonymity.

The outcome of all these available jobs and coaches will likely serve as a major—if not generational—reset of overall coaching compensation trends. Already, Saban’s $11.4 million annual salary and Belichick’s estimated $25 million-per-year pay had been frequently used as benchmarks to help set other coaching contracts.

Heart of the Matter

The underlying causes of the now-flooded coaching market are varied. Some of the influx owes to the age and personal factors of particular coaches, such as the 72-year-old Saban electing to retire from coaching and perhaps consider a move [[link removed]] to broadcasting. On-field performance, of course, still plays a major role. But the college turnover is also being influenced by historic levels of uncertainty and frustration surrounding player transfer rules and name, image, and likeness rights.

“It’s a terrible system,” said Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin of the transfer portal. Kiffin has been mentioned [[link removed]] as a possibility for the Alabama job. “No other [sport has] ever set up a system where free agency starts while the season is still going. So it really makes no sense.”

Senior writer A.J. Perez contributed to this report.

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Houston, We Have A Problem

The Houston Texans are set to host a playoff game on Saturday as ownership squabble unfolds behind the scenes. Robert Cary McNair Jr., son of Texans owner Janice McNair and the late Bob McNair, has submitted an application of permanent guardianship for his 87-year-old mother and her estate, asking to declare her incapacitated. Check out the latest episode [[link removed]] of Front Office Sports Today for more insight on this NFL-sized family feud.

🎧 Listen and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], and Spotify [[link removed]].

Post-Belichick Era: Patriots Hit Reset Button After Rise to Elite Status [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft called the departure [[link removed]] of head coach Bill Belichick the “end of an era” for the team and its fans. That is a massive understatement in more ways than one.

Not only are the Patriots losing their six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, but his departure also signals the fundamental reset of an organization that used the success Belichick created and led to become one of the NFL’s most prominent and valuable franchises.

During Belichick’s 24-year run, the Patriots’ franchise value rose [[link removed]] from $464 million, 10th-best in the NFL, to $7 billion, second behind the Dallas Cowboys, in the process enjoying a globally elite status reserved for the likes of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Lakers. Kraft, in turn, has become one of the NFL’s foremost power brokers, his influence burnished by the on-field success Belichick led.

The year before Belichick’s arrival in 2000, the Patriots nearly relocated to Hartford, Conn. But that deal fell apart, and the Patriots ultimately built Gillette Stadium—now widely seen as one of the NFL’s leading and most unique facilities—as a means to solidify its stature in New England.

Belichick was also able to maintain his success while facing salary-cap constraints and steadily losing top coaching assistants and front-office personnel to bigger jobs elsewhere. Under Belichick, regularly parting ways with popular players in the name of better and more value-oriented roster construction became a fundamental part of the Patriots’ brand.

“The fact [this was] done in the salary-cap and free-agency era makes it even more extraordinary,” Kraft said of Belichick’s tenure.

Now, the Patriots are once again a more ordinary franchise, as the team just posted its first last-place division finish since 2000, Belichick’s first year with the team. And with both Belichick and iconic quarterback Tom Brady gone, the Patriots are truly hitting the reset button. The Patriots hold the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, a prospect that perhaps presents an opportunity to set a new coach-quarterback pairing along the lines of Belichick-Brady.

Conversation Starters Want a chance to win $250? We want to get to know our audience better and improve our coverage. Fill out our new survey [[link removed]] for a chance to win a $250 Visa gift card or free FOS merch! In 17 seasons as Alabama head coach, Nick Saban put some serious numbers [[link removed]] on the board. Clemson just opened the only facility [[link removed]] in the country dedicated solely to women’s lacrosse. The space features a new locker room, a film room, a players lounge, a nutrition kitchen, and coaches’ offices. Editor’s Picks Why Jim Harbaugh’s Comments About Athlete Pay Unionization During the CFP Were Such a Big Deal [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Harbaugh used the CFP’s stage to endorse athlete revenue-sharing and unionization. NFL Argues Merits of Jon Gruden’s Lawsuit in Nevada’s Highest Court [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]NFL makes one final push to get Gruden’s case compelled to arbitration at Nevada Supreme Court appeals hearing. Nick Saban, Highest-Paid NCAA Football Coach, Is Retiring [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]] and Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]The 72-year-old coach is tied for the most national championships of any FBS football head coach. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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