More chaos in New Jersey as the New York Jets fire head coach Robert Saleh in his fourth season. This action by the Jets’ front office is already sparking storylines across the media. Some are saying it was a simple decision moved into fruition by his poor success, while others are saying it was brought on by the tainting of waters from Aaron Rodgers’ toxicity in the Jets locker room. Regardless of one’s opinions on these events, Robert Saleh has become the first head coach fired in the 2024 NFL season. Saleh may just be the first through door, too. There are a lot of coaches on the hot seat currently, and below is a cute little list of our rankings of the hottest seats in the NFL.
(I was thinking of including Mike Tomlin. But part of me thinks his tenure in Pittsburgh is a life-long term at this point)
Now which of these potential coaching vacancies is most appealing to you? Unless someone is holding onto any biases, there are some obvious potential choices on the table. Hopefully one specific individual feels similar to me, which takes us to what I really want to talk about. Bill Belichick has clearly expressed his interest in coaching in the 2025 season. He has stated that if a position is the “right situation”, he will coach.
Why am I talking about Bill Belichick? Well, it’s because if there is one coach that can come into a situation and lead the team to new heightened expectations, its the greatest to ever do it, Billy B. Which of these locations would Bill realistically choose? I’ve narrowed it down to a few.
The New York Giants
I think this is an obvious choice for Belichick. New York is where his legacy truly began. As defensive coordinator to two Super Bowl winning teams under Bill Parcels, Belichick has frequently expressed fondness of this franchise. This could potentially be the full circle to a story book ending for the legend. Some reasons as to why this might not happen are as follows.. Bill is pretty vindictive. As proven by many such actions taken throughout his career, I think Bill may possibly resent the Giants a tad for the Patriots’ Super Bowl losses to New York in 2007 and 2011. A small point to highlight, but it may be enough to sway his decision. Lastly, the Giants would still need some work even with Bill as the head coach. Danny Dimes is unfortunately not the answer.
The Philadelphia Eagles
Should this coaching vacancy arise, it may be a smart landing spot for the 9-time Super Bowl champ. Now I still have high doubts about Hurt’s reliability as a championship winning quarterback, but this roster is absolutely stacked. Belichick would have this defense playing like one of, if not the best units in the league, and a healthy Eagles offense can be a terror. Bill doesn’t have any history with this team, or really any of the teams I will mention from here on, so that may be a detracting factor. Additionally, unlike the Giants, parting ways with GM Howie Roseman is absolutely not going to happen. He has done an outstanding job, and hiring Belichick as GM would probably lead to a regression at the position.
The Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have almost the exact same for and against arguments as the Eagles, save a few. This team isn’t quite as talented as the Eagles, and Jerry Jones and Belichick would be water and oil. The only real incentive I see for Bill would be putting the Dallas Star on his chest. I imagine that would be exciting for any true disciple of league history.
Last and most certainly not least, the Cincinatti Bengals
I have not wanted anything more in recent memory. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is a sort of aura around Cincinatti and it all starts with the quarterback. Joe Burrow, or Joey Suave as he is known in some parts, has a sort of swagger about him that I’m not sure I’ve seen in an NFL quarterback. Tom Brady was an assassin, but he knew how to charm the media, and had a silver tongue at the podium. Whether or not you think it was genuine, he at least gave you the illusion that you knew him. Patrick Mahomes’ mohawk mullet thing and little kermit the frog gunslinger shtick in front of the press works, and we all take him serious now because of his other worldly play and championship caliber competitiveness. Joe Burrow on the other hand, leaves me scratching my head. He is the embodiment of the vampire archetype that drives the women wild and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t work on me. He is so smooth on and off the field, and the guy’s winning resume starts long before the NFL. Despite having a 1-4 record, the guy is a winner.
There is a sadness I feel whenever I watch Burrow lose. It’s a sadness that comes from a place similar to watching a child lost in a shopping mall. I can’t help but wonder what Joe would look like with a hall of fame head coach. Mahomes has Andy Reid as a massive crutch if need be, and Joe Burrow has (no offense) Zac Taylor who has as about as much experience as he does. If Bill Belichick joined the Cincinatti Bengals, I believe the result would be scary. Joe Burrow started in the league with a HOF trajectory that has since been slightly derailed by injury and poor coaching. The Bengals offense is elite, and Bill Belichick would have that defense playing at an elite level within a single offseason.
The Chiefs can’t lose because of Reid and Mahomes. It’s the best duo in the league and it’s not particularly close. A Burrow-Belichick duo in my opinion could trump that. Think on this for a minute, contrary to what you may believe, Joe Burrow is 3-2 against Mahomes. He is 3-2 with a deck stacked in favor of the Chiefs. I think if you add Bill Belichick into this mix, Burrow would gain a massive edge in this competition. This could be what ends the first chapter of this Chiefs dynasty.
I don’t know about you, but this could make for the most exciting NFL rivalry in my lifetime. Colts vs Patriots was too one sided. It was a lot like how the Chiefs vs Bengals currently feels. With this coaching addition, we could get a product we have never seen before. All NFL fandom should be rooting for this.
– Tyler S @twoandahalfvirgins