Bill Belichick to Jaguars is the NFL’s hottest coaching rumor. Is it true?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in big trouble. An 0-3 start to a once-promising season has now given rise to rumors of sweeping changes within the organization — including the firing of head coach Doug Pederson.

Rumors are now positioning Bill Belichick as a possible answer to the Jags’ coaching woes, so today Football Court convenes to argue whether or not that’s a good idea. This is our debate series that attempts to answer some of football’s biggest questions, whether we personally agree with them or not.

The Jaguars Should Definitely Hire Bill Belichick — James Dator

Ladies and gentlemen, we don’t need to discuss Bill Belichick’s resume and waste the court’s time here. We all know he is the greatest coach in the history of football, and a man who consistently gets the best out of the players at his disposal.

My argument for Bill Belichick as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars comes from two things:

• Available buses
• A history of failures

To those who say Belichick would be a bad choice, I ask, “Who’s better?” We’ve seen the ranks of talent and promising head coaching candidates so thoroughly decimated over the past two years that there aren’t many people who could make the transition from coordinator to coach in 2025. Sure, you might hope for someone like Detroit’s Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn, but both men seem content (at least for now) to be coordinators and wait for the right spot to open up. Is Jacksonville under Trent Baalke the right place for a young head coach looking to make his mark? Absolutely not.

If you don’t hire Belichick and the two most promising coordinators are on the market, you’re scraping a barrel. Would Mike McCarthy be better off fired in Dallas? Is Steve Spagnuolo ready to leave or is he set to become Andy Reid’s heir apparent? Ultimately, this isn’t a buyer’s market for coaches, and now more than ever, those with promise are waiting to find the right landing spot, rather than just jumping at the first available position.

Secondly, when it comes to coordinators going to Jacksonville to coach, the history is, well, terrible. Look at the list of hotshot coordinators who became head coaches of the Jaguars and tell me is this really the way forward? Both Mike Mularkey and Gus Bradley were widely touted signings, and it turned out terribly.

To make this work, you need someone who can step in and win with Trevor Lawrence. There’s absolutely no reason to believe Belichick can’t do that. Plus, he can squeeze more talent out of the players on the roster than anyone else, and while it may not be a long-term solution, it’s the only solution right now.

Bill Belichick may be the greatest ever, but he may not be the answer — Mark Schofield

Judge Acosta, ladies and gentlemen, and guests of honor, in my years of practice — both in this jurisdiction and in others — I have learned many things. Not to get into arguments about quarterbacks in Chicago. Always stand when you address the bench, and this.

The most zealous advocate is often the one you least expect.

I speak to you as a loyal New England Patriots fan. Someone who sat in front of the TV with a broken heart during Super Bowl XX. Someone who has lived through two different dynasties, built in large part by Bill Belichick. Someone who believes that Belichick is, without a doubt, one of the greatest coaches — not just football, but coaches, period — who will ever live.

But Bill Belichick isn’t the answer in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars’ problems go far beyond one head coach. And as great as Belichick is and could still play in the NFL, he can’t solve Jacksonville’s problems by himself.

There needs to be bigger changes than just the coach. Trent Baalke, who has made several crucial decisions for this franchise, should certainly bear some of the blame in this situation. New decision makers are needed in the front office, and can you find anyone Belichick will listen to? Or should he listen to?

Or would the idea be to turn all decision-making over to Belichick?

Belichick the head coach is impeccable, but ask many Patriots fans and they might still have some questions about Belichick the general manager. Consider this fact from Albert Breer of The MMQB:

“Tony Khan has a very strong relationship with Bill Belichick, Shad’s son Tony. When they hired Doug Marrone and removed the interim tag in 2017, it was largely on Bill Belichick’s advice. So Bill has had the owner’s ear in that spot for a while.”

Marrone had a 23-43 record during his time in Jacksonville, losing to Belichick in an AFC Championship Game.

Once again, Belichick is headed straight to Canton, perhaps as early as 2026 under a change in Hall of Fame selection rules. But Jacksonville’s problems go beyond the head coach, and bigger changes are needed.

Belichick could very well return to coaching, but the fit with Jacksonville – given what the organization needs beyond a head coach – isn’t optimal for him, or for the team.

Pronunciation — JP Acosta

I want to thank both Counsel Schofield and Counsel Dator for their very compelling arguments. As a fan of this Jaguars franchise that causes me eternal and chronic suffering and fear, I have seen many things. Most notably, I have seen owner Shad Khan opt for the relics of the past in his hires. Doug Marrone was the assistant head coach and offensive line coach for the Jaguars. Hiring him was easy; it was someone Khan knew, was in the system and wasn’t going to change much, and it gave Khan the opportunity to step away as owner while everyone else did the work. Still, Marrone was 15-17 as the former head coach of the Buffalo Bills, and his end there was unceremonious to say the least. Urban Meyer was a decorated college football coach with ties to the state of Florida. It was the big name Khan wanted, a new era of Jaguars football with the Florida man at the helm. Never mind that he had zero NFL coaching experience and the reason he quit coaching was because it nearly killed him – this was it… and then it wasn’t. Doug Pederson was a Super Bowl winning coach with the Philadelphia Eagles. An offensive guru who got the best out of QBs when he was around…just don’t look at how that Eagles era ended.

The word I want you to focus on here is was. Khan is so busy living in the past and going after the guys he saw on TV or in the gym and saying, “That’s what I want,” instead of moving forward into the new era of the NFL. The next acquisition the Jaguars make will be the most important one, because nothing comes easy. Not much cap space, a high-priced QB who may be broken because of the environment You put him in, and a fan base that is about to bring back the clown noses. The first step here is to fire Trent Baalke. No matter what is done, Baalke cannot get away with the selection being as bad as it is. The second is that the jaguars shouldn’t hire bill belichickas attorney Schofield said.

I love Belichick as a coach, what he has done defensively has revolutionized the game in every area. This team needs to forward. It can’t keep looking back at past successes and automatically assume it will happen in Jacksonville. Coordinators like Arizona’s Drew Petzing come to mind as someone who would really work in Jacksonville, and while Belichick brings success and a standard, remember: we said the same thing about Pederson. I’m also wary of Belichick taking complete control of the roster as GM, with no one to exercise control or have a say outside of the Belichick sphere.

If Belichick wants to coach again, I think he should, but Jacksonville is not the right place for him.