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Bill Belichick, UNC reportedly do not yet have signed contract; GM downplays
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Bill Belichick is currently working for North Carolina under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and does not have a signed contract with the Tar Heels, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
The new Carolina head coach has a reported buyout of $10 million if he terminates his employment with the school before June 1, 2025, and there has been some speculation that a move to the NFL could still materialize if the right team came calling.
In the absence of a fully executed and signed contract between the coach and North Carolina, Jones cited “industry sources” as saying there could be a legal gray area about whether Belichick would owe the school anything if he left for the pros.
Shortly after that report was published, Belichick’s general manager at Carolina, Michael Lombardi, took to social media to downplay the notion that Belichick is keeping his options open.
“Bill is recruiting in DC today and Baltimore tomorrow. His focus is on North Carolina football, hiring staff members, and developing the team,” Lombardi wrote in a tweet. “The NFL isn’t [an] option so please stop making it one. Thank you.”
That sentiment has been shared before, as well. Last week, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that Belichick has “no plans” to return to the NFL.
Belichick signed a term sheet proposal with Carolina on Dec. 11, according to Jones’ report. In similar situations, language can be written into those deals requiring a fully executed contract within a certain manner of time.
It is not uncommon for coaches to work under an MOU while their contract is finalized. Just last year, reports surfaced after Michigan coach Sherrone Moore made his debut that he was coaching for the Wolverines despite not yet being fully under contract.
“They are being worked on as we speak,” Michigan AD Warde Manuel said of Moore’s deal at the time. “But the memorandum of understanding is a legal document that does bind us and bind them to it, and it spells out pretty much everything that’s in the contract.”
Less than a week after that report was published and Moore’s contract situation was made the topic of intense speculation, Michigan confirmed it had finalized his contract.
A spokesperson for North Carolina confirmed to CBS Sports that Belichick was working under an MOU but added that coaches have worked for the Tar Heels “for a year before they had an actual contract” in the past.
“I didn’t come here to leave,” Belichick said when he was introduced as UNC’s coach last month. “… I always wanted to coach in college football but it never really worked out. I did some good years in the NFL, and that went okay, but this is really kind of a dream come true.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
