After firing Freddie Kitchens as his offensive coordinator following a disastrous first season at North Carolina, Bill Belichick is considering turning to other former NFL head coaches with NCAA experience in his quest to find a replacement.
Belichick, whose Tar Heels finished the season with a disappointing 4-8 record, is focusing on former NFL coaches Chip Kelly and Bobby Petrino as potential replacements for Kitchens, according to On3.com.
Chip Kelly was fired by the Raiders. AP
Bobby Petrino during an Arkansas game this November. Getty Images
The 62-year-old Kelly was fired in November as the offensive coordinator of the Raiders.
Kelly also has served as the head coach of the Eagles and the 49ers, as well as at Oregon and UCLA at the collegiate level. He also was the offensive coordinator for Ohio State in 2024.
Petrino was the head coach of the Falcons in 2007 before leaving to run the program at Arkansas, and he mostly has bounced around in college coaching for the past two decades.
He also has served as a head coach at Western Kentucky, Louisville and Missouri State, and he most recently was the offensive coordinator back at Arkansas this year before finishing out the season as the interim head coach following the firing of Sam Pittman in September.
Bill Belichick is revamping his coaching staff. Getty Images
The 73-year-old Belichick signed a five-year contract worth $50 million to coach at North Carolina in December 2024, but his deal only contains a $1 million buyout if an NFL team decides to pursue and hire him.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach hasn’t coached in the NFL since leaving the Patriots following a 4-13 campaign in 2023.
While some have linked him to the Giants’ opening, Belichick made it clear he plans to stay in Chapel Hill and attempt to build a contending program.