It looks like 2024 will be a big year for Bill Belichick. The former New England Patriots head coach is beginning a new phase of his career, one that doesn’t involve standing on the sidelines and coaching professional football players.
According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Belichick is joining ESPN’s “Manningcast” in a recurring role, spending time jawing with brothers Peyton Manning and Eli Manning on an alternate feed of the network’s “Monday Night Football” broadcasts. Until now, “Manningcast” had only invited guests on once per season, but Belichick will reportedly be appearing on most (but not all) episodes to do a set segment.
That slight change in format says a lot about how much the Manning boys and Peyton’s production company, Omaha Productions, wanted to get Belichick on board. “Manningcast” has been gold for ESPN, and neither they or Omaha Productions have messed with it during its two-season run. But they’re willing change things up to include Belichick, who is considered one of the greatest football minds of all time.
There’s more than just “Manningcast” in the works, though. Belichick will be writing a book, something he has reportedly thought a great deal about doing. According to a recent report from ESPN, Belichick wants to write a football leadership guide that’s similar to the book that has influenced his entire football career. Via ESPN:
The model is one of the books that influenced Belichick most: “Finding the Winning Edge,” Bill Walsh’s 550-page bid to put his football genius on paper. Walsh’s system was coach-centric, of course. It was the NFL system. Walsh mocked the role of a general manager on losing teams, saying that most of them sit next to the owner during games and blame the coach, avoiding accountability. Belichick read the book and then developed an entire system based on accountability.
And there’s still more beyond that. Marchand also mentions that Belichick could become part of another football show produced by Omaha Productions, and has considered starting a podcast.
How much will Belichick be paid for all this? Figures are unknown, but Marchand estimates that the advance on his book deal alone is likely to reach seven figures. Omaha Productions and ESPN both have deep pockets, and would almost certainly back up a fleet of loaded Brinks trucks to get him on board exclusively.
If you’re eager to see whether Belichick’s typically stony demeanor will melt away on camera, or even if you just want to see how the guy’s looking these days, you won’t have to wait long. He’ll be a guest analyst on “The Pat McAfee Show” during the 2024 NFL Draft, which starts on Thursday.
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