Adam Schefter pointed out ‘one thing to watch’ in Bill Belichick’s potential coaching future

"That's going to keep coming up over and over."

Bill Belichick coaching the Patriots against the Chiefs in a December 2023 matchup. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

January 29, 2024

3 minutes to read

A wild-card possibility for Bill Belichick: Though the NFL offseason hasn’t even officially begun, most of the head coach vacancies across the league have already been filled.

This has come despite Bill Belichick, second on the NFL’s all-time wins list by a head coach, not getting a new job following his mutual parting of ways from the Patriots. While it’s still possible for Belichick to be hired by either the Commanders or Seahawks — two teams that are yet to find new coaches — speculation has started that the longtime New England coach could end up in broadcasting.

Still, there could be one more intriguing shoe left to drop in terms of job openings, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained on Sunday.

Speaking during a segment on “NFL Countdown” prior to the championship games, Schefter mentioned an admittedly unlikely but fascinating possibility.

“The one thing to watch, I think — again, people have just floated it out there, we’ll see — if the Chiefs were able to win the Super Bowl, could — could — Andy Reid walk away?” Schefter asked. “That’s always possible, and I think there are people who believe that Clark Hunt, the Chiefs’ owner, would want a veteran, experienced coach. Who’s more experienced and successful than Bill Belichick?”

“You say you’ll take care of the defense, [Patrick] Mahomes, you take care of the offense,” Schefter added. “Pretty good combination there.”

Before he got too far down the speculative road, Schefter emphasized the obvious: Reid is still very much the Chiefs’ head coach and has not made any mention of retirement as a possibility.

“Obviously, Andy’s entrenched there and gets to coach as long as he wants,” said Schefter.

With the likelihood at this point that he won’t end up leading a new team in 2024, Schefter also noted that Belichick’s name will loom over any coach on the hot seat.

“I think if he were to not coach this year, I think he lords over the entire 2024 season,” Schefter theorized. “Every time there’s a question with the Jets or the Giants, or the Cowboys and Eagles, well Bill Belichick is out there. That’s going to keep coming up over and over.”

Trivia: Andy Reid is the Chiefs’ all-time winningest head coach. Who is second in team history?

(Answer at the bottom.)

Hint: He’s the only other Chiefs coach to lead Kansas City to a Super Bowl win.

Scores and schedules:

The Chiefs and 49ers will meet in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11. Both teams won their respective conference championship on Sunday in compelling matchups against the Ravens and Lions, respectively.

Tonight, the Celtics host the Pelicans at 7:30 p.m.

The Bruins return to action on Tuesday at TD Garden against the Flames at 7 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

New England played host to the world’s best freestyle skiers: The inaugural edition of the Waterville Freestyle Cup took place on Friday and Saturday, with the best mogul skiers in the world converging on the New Hampshire ski area.

Rich Eisen and Julian Edelman discussing the Patriots: The longtime announcer and host talked about Bill Belichick and the Patriots with the former New England wide receiver.

On this day: In 1985, Larry Bird hit a buzzer-beater to give the Celtics a dramatic 131-130 win over the Pistons. For Bird, who totaled 32 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, it was his second last-second winner in as many games following Boston’s 128-127 win over the Trail Blazers two days earlier.