Tom Brady is reportedly looking to reunite with a familiar face.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce was recently fired after a 4-13 season and Brady, a minority owner with the team, is set to be involved in the search for his replacement.
He is exploring his extensive network of NFL contacts in the search, and has reportedly touched base with former New England Patriots partner in crime, Bill Belichick.
The Hall of Fame pair won six Super Bowls together in Massachusetts, and Brady has reportedly reached out to his old coach about what it would take to make a reunion happen in Sin City.
There’s one small problem, though.
Belichick recently shocked the world by announcing his first foray into college football, signing a five-year contract to become head coach at the University of North Carolina (UNC).
The 72-year-old has already spearheaded a recruitment drive, per reports, but has a $10 million buyout if he leaves prior to June 1, 2025, which Brady and the Raiders could look to activate.
It’s a stunning development in the football world, and one that NFL legend Shannon Sharpe touched on in his latest ‘Nightcap’ podcast.
The three-time Super Bowl winner remarked that Brady will have reached out to his former coach because of one thing: winning, which is what Belichick does better than almost anyone else.
“Brady understands what it look [to win],” Sharpe told co-host Chad ‘Ochocinco Johnson.
“Maybe that wears on you, but at the end of the day, Tom Brady wants to win. I can assure you that Coach Belichick’s style wears on you, but if I want to win, wear on me.”
However, Sharpe revealed the success of any Brady-Belichick reunion in Las Vegas hinges on one key thing, chiefly, the team’s ability to find a competent enough starting quarterback.
“You got to get a quarterback. I don’t care. Coach Belichick, as great as he is, we saw when he didn’t have a quarterback and it didn’t work out very well.”
Johnson agreed, adding: “I think the only issue for Bill is, if he was to go to the Raiders, I mean, he still wouldn’t have a quarterback.
“You still don’t know what the quarterback system is like.”
“And listen, right now, if he was to go to that job and not have a quarterback and lose, I think his leash would be just as short as everybody else.
“His leash would be just as short as everybody else.
“And there would be no way for him to compete at any level until he gets someone in there that he can build around.”
The Silver and Black have been plagued by a plethora of issues in recent years, starting with owner Mark Davis, but quarterback is high among them, too.
Carson Palmer and Terrelle Pryor gave way to the somewhat serviceable Derek Carr before failed experiments with Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew, and Aidan O’Connell have left them desperate for a starting signal caller.
The Raiders were hoping to have a shot at either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, thanks to a couple of late-season wins, the Raiders fell all the way down to sixth in the draft order, meaning they would have to trade up in order to secure one of the two best signal-callers in this year’s class.
Or, the team could explore another avenue and look to make a trade.
Sharpe suggested that if Belichick were to end up with the Raiders, he should immediately look towards the likes of Sam Darnold (Vikings), JJ McCarthy (Vikings), or Kirk Cousins (Falcons) to raise the team’s floor.
“I mean, there’s going to be some quarterbacks available,” Sharpe said.
“Do you make a play for Sam Donald if he’s available? If they trade JJ McCarthy, do you make a play for him?
“Cousins, he might be available.. Do you trade for him?
“I mean, you might have to move up if you want a Cam Ward or you want a Shadeur. Maybe, it all depends.
“You’ve already got Brock Bowers. You got Jakobi Myers. You’ve got some OK pieces.
“Bowers is legit now. Myers had an outstanding year this year. Maybe you add another wideout. Hey, do you go get a Tee Higgins?” Sharpe suggested.
However, with all that said, Ocho said he ultimately doesn’t see a Brady-Belichick reunion happening in Las Vegas.
“Honestly, I don’t see it happening,” the former Bengals wide receiver stated.
“And knowing Bill, understanding his character, knowing once he’s locked into a situation, he’s all in.
“He’s made promises and he’s going to fulfil those promises.
“If anything, he might coach for a year or two [at UNC] and then he comes to the NFL.”
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Ochocinco is close to the truth.
“I’m told [Belichick’s] sole focus is on coaching and recruiting for North Carolina, as he continues building the Tar Heels’ future. He’s recruiting today in New Jersey,” she posted on X.
A pretty emphatic statement there that Belichick doesn’t plan on going anywhere.
We’ll see if Brady ramps up his attempts to his entice his former coach in the coming days and weeks.
