The Buffalo Bills are at a crossroads. After seven straight playoff appearances under Sean McDermott, the franchise decided it was time for a new direction. And with the coaching search already casting a wide net - even reportedly entertaining a conversation with former NFL quarterback and current high school coach Philip Rivers - it begs a bigger question: Why not Bill Belichick?
Yes, that Bill Belichick. The six-time Super Bowl champion.
The architect of two decades of dominance in New England. The same coach who once humiliated the Bills 47-17 in what turned out to be his final playoff game with the Patriots.
And yet, four years later, his name hasn’t surfaced in connection with any of the ten current head coaching vacancies. Not once. That silence says a lot about how far his stock has fallen - and how quickly.
There are reasons, of course. Belichick’s decision to hand the Patriots’ offense to a defensive coordinator in 2022 raised eyebrows across the league.
His stint at North Carolina, where he’s taken on a college role, hasn’t exactly been distraction-free either. And there’s always been that lingering concern: if you hire Belichick, are you getting just a head coach - or someone who wants to run the entire football operation?
But here’s the thing: Belichick’s ability to build a game plan - to break down an opponent and exploit every weakness - has never been in doubt. And no team knows that better than Buffalo.
From 2000 through 2023, Belichick went 37-12 against the Bills. That’s not just dominance - that’s ownership.
And long before he was tormenting Buffalo twice a year in the AFC East, he played a key role in delivering one of the most painful losses in franchise history. As defensive coordinator for the Giants in Super Bowl XXV, Belichick crafted a now-legendary game plan to slow down Buffalo’s high-octane K-Gun offense.
The strategy? Force them to run, shorten the game, and keep the ball away from Jim Kelly.
The result? A 20-19 win - and a missed 47-yard field goal that still haunts Bills fans to this day.
So if the Bills are willing to have a conversation with someone like Rivers - who never played in a Super Bowl, let alone coached at the college or pro level - why not at least talk to Belichick?
Yes, it would require some ground rules. Belichick would need to focus solely on coaching.
That likely means cutting ties with longtime confidant Mike Lombardi and letting GM Brandon Beane and owner Terry Pegula continue steering the front office. But if Belichick is willing to just coach - to zero in on Sundays and not the draft room - then it’s a conversation worth having.
Because Buffalo isn’t looking to rebuild. They’re looking to break through.
They’ve been knocking on the door for years now, only to fall short when it matters most. If the goal is to get over the hump, to finally deliver a Lombardi Trophy to Bills Mafia, then shouldn’t every option be on the table?
Belichick might not be the long-term answer. He’s not a culture builder or a five-year plan guy. But if you want to win now, if you want to maximize what’s left of Josh Allen’s prime and a roster that’s still loaded with talent, there’s arguably no one better at preparing a team to win in January and February.
So maybe it’s time to pick up the phone. Do the homework. See if there’s a version of this that works - one where Belichick returns to the AFC East, not as the villain in Foxborough, but as the guy who helps Buffalo finally exorcise its postseason demons.
After all, if you’re willing to roll the dice on a high school coach, how can you not at least consider the greatest game-day coach the league has ever seen?