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Bill Belichick to the Cowboys? Devin McCourty explains why it makes sense
"This team is ready to win now. I don't think he really wants to be in a rebuild."
Bill Belichick’s 24-year tenure at the helm of the Patriots came to an end on Thursday.
But the future Hall-of-Famer isn’t looking to ride off into the sunset and call it a career after winning six Super Bowls in Foxborough.
“I thank Coach Bill for his hard work and dedication,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said on Thursday. “It will be difficult to see him in a cut-off hoodie on [another] sideline, but I will always continue to wish him continued success, except when he’s playing our beloved Patriots.”
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Given Belichick’s lofty resume, it’s to be expected that the former Patriots coach will have no shortage of teams lining up to hand him the keys to their organization this offseason.
Most of the rumors surrounding Belichick’s next destination have linked him to teams in the NFC South — namely the Atlanta Falcons.
But after the Cowboys were trounced at home by the Packers, 48-32, in the NFL Wild Card Round on Sunday night, outspoken Dallas owner Jerry Jones could potentially be in the market for a new head coach if he opts to cut ties with Mike McCarthy.
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And given that Belichick needs just 15 wins to surpass Don Shula for the most victories in league history, Devin McCourty believes Dallas could be the perfect fit for his former head coach.
“I think Dallas could be one of those fits because, for one, Bill Belichick is 72 years old,” the former Patriots safety said on NBC’s NFL coverage on Sunday. “This team is ready to win now. I don’t think he really wants to be in a rebuild or ‘we’ll be good in five years.’ I think an opportunity to maybe be on a team and win as soon as you get there sounds like a good thing. But we’ll have to see if that job is even available.”
Despite boasting a roster with nine total All-Pro selections, McCarthy was unable to get the Cowboys over the hump yet again this season. McCarthy is 42-25 in four regular seasons with the Cowboys, including three straight 12-win seasons. However, Dallas has just one playoff win over that stretch.
With Dallas’ last appearance in the Super Bowl nearly 30 years ago, an 81-year-old Jones could target Belichick as the coach needed to get the Cowboys back to February football.
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Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted that Belichick has a “very solid” relationship with Jerry Jones and his son, Cowboys CEO and director of player personnel Stephen Jones. Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz — citing a “rival executive” — posted on X that Jones would go after Belichick to replace McCarthy if the Cowboys lost to the Packers.
Given Jones’ involvement on the football operations front, a potential partnership with a coach like Belichick could give way to disaster. But Jones’ desire to get the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl — coupled with the stacked roster that Dallas already fields — might make this a viable destination for Belichick.
“I think this situation right now — it’s kind of like ‘We haven’t won or been in these big games that I want to be in for a long time,” McCourty said of Jones’ rationale for hiring Belichick. “’I don’t know how much time is left. I want this now.’ And you look out there and you’re like, ‘Wow, I’ve always watched from afar, this Patriots organization. This one guy, Bill Belichick, has run this organization. He’s done this. He’s done that.’
“They talked about who he drafts, talks about the coaching staff, the players, man, what if [for] his last hurrah, if he comes here for two or three years, and we go to the promised land, and we win because the team has a ton of talent. It’s totally different from where Bill Belichick is coming from with the Patriots and that team. This team’s loaded with talent.”
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