Sean Payton nearly orchestrated a radical succession plan with the Denver Broncos, briefly considering stepping aside to help his longtime friend and UNC head coach Bill Belichick chase Don Shula’s historic all-time wins record.
Bill Belichick had some job interviews during the 2024 offseason, but no fish were biting after he parted ways with the New England Patriots following a 4-13 campaign in 2023.
Belichick sat out the 2024 season before landing a job with North Carolina in 2025. Even amid a slow start at UNC, Belichick's name was linked to league jobs for the 2026 hiring cycle, but the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach made it clear that he intends to stay with the Tar Heels.
There is some unfinished business for Belichick in the NFL. He's still behind Don Shula's record for most wins as a head coach. Shula has 347 wins. Belichick is No. 2 with 333 wins.
Seth Wickersham of ESPN reported on Tuesday that Belichick nearly was given a unique opportunity to become a head coach in 2024 for the Denver Broncos.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton considered stepping down to assistant head coach and giving Belichick the head coaching job until he beat Shula's record.
"His friend Bill Belichick sent him bullet points that he used to give to his Patriots teams. Payton and Belichick go back decades, forged by mutual respect -- and mutual trauma from working under Parcells," Wickersham wrote.
"When Belichick and the Patriots divorced in 2024, Payton considered presenting Broncos owner Greg Penner a proposal for the ages: Hire Belichick as head coach until he reached 15 wins, enough to break Don Shula's career record of 347. Payton would temporarily step down to assistant head coach and run the offense, then move back after Belichick became the all-time leader. In the end, it was too complicated -- and maybe too fanciful."
The logistics of making such a move would have been too incredible for the Broncos. It also would have taken two seasons with Denver before Belichick won the 15 games, meaning his taking the job would have kept him from becoming the head coach of the Tar Heels.
Whether that would have been good for UNC or not remains to be seen this season. Belichick went 4-8 in his first year in Chapel Hill, and the team faces an uphill battle to make a bowl game in his second.
