BOSTON — It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Bill Belichick. It’s not yet known when — or in what format — we’ll hear from him next.
Apparently, though, we may be able to rule out an NFL studio show.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand wrote on Wednesday about the media prospects of the recently retired Jason Kelce. In that story, he included this note about Belichick:
“While ESPN continues to pursue Bill Belichick, Belichick has told networks he is disinclined to be part of a regular studio show, according to officials briefed on the talks. ESPN could combine with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions and NFL Films to secure the legendary coach for a broadcasting role.”
Marchand added that Belichick is “sought after,” but that Kelce is “the linchpin of the NFL TV free-agent season.”
Previously, Marchand had reported that Manning was “pursuing Bill Belichick in an effort to sign the longtime New England Patriots head coach with Omaha Productions.”
What that means exactly is not yet known, though it’s easy to see Belichick finding a role in a Manningcast type of project — where he can focus on football and in-game X’s and O’s — more appealing than sitting in a studio and yapping about the various topics du jour from the NFL.
Nick Saban, a longtime friend of Belichick, opted to enter the studio show world by signing on with ESPN’s College GameDay after retiring at Alabama. That led to obvious speculation that ESPN could find a way to pair the two legendary coaches in some capacity.
For now, it looks as though Belichick’s media decision may have to wait until Kelce decides between ESPN, NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime Video. After that, some dominos may begin to fall, with Belichick being arguably the biggest of them all.
