At North Carolina, the Bill Belichick experiment is unraveling so quickly that the school may already be plotting its way out. It's only been five games, with the Tar Heels setting at 2-3, although things off the field are apparently much worse.
Andrew Jones of 247Sports reported that “potential exit strategy discussions” have taken place in Chapel Hill. While not a guarantee that Belichick will be fired, Jones noted “preliminary conversations” are happening with the goal of finding ways to reduce or eliminate the massive buyout tied to his contract.
“I don’t think it’s a lock that Belichick coaches the Cal game," Jones said.
That Oct. 17 trip to Berkeley now looms as a decision point. If UNC stumbles there, leadership could have the cover it needs to cut ties early, even if the financial math is complicated. As of now, if the university fired Belichick, they would owe him around $20 million.
The urgency is fueled by both on-field struggles and off-field headaches. Belichick’s team was routed 38-10 by Clemson, continuing a season in which the Tar Heels have looked unprepared against serious competition. Off the field, WRAL’s Pat Welter described a toxic atmosphere where parents have little communication with coaches like defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, favoritism appears rampant, and leadership feels absent.
“It’s an unstructured mess,” one source told Welter. “There’s no culture, no organization. It’s a complete disaster.”
Things escalated further when cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins was suspended over alleged extra benefits. Welter explained why the violation matters but doesn’t change the contract calculus.
“There is a fire for cause clause in Belichick’s contract and it mentions degrees of NCAA violations, but I was told that the Hawkins violations would not rise to that level," Welter reported.
Without that trigger, UNC would still be on the hook for a significant payout if it moved on early.
That’s why comparisons to other failed experiments are already surfacing. As Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer put it, “Bill Belichick at UNC is starting to feel like Urban Meyer in Jacksonville.” It’s the kind of warning shot that suggests this isn’t just about losing games — it’s about a culture unraveling in real time.
UNC gambled on Belichick to elevate its program overnight. Instead, it may not even make it to midseason without weighing whether the cost of sticking with him is greater than the cost of letting him go.