Mike Francesa doesn’t buy reports of Bill Belichick’s interest in Jets

Bill Belichick was reportedly interested in burying the hatchet with Woody Johnson and the New York Jets, but Mike Francesa doesn’t buy it.

Last week, Dianna Russini of The Athletic stunned the NFL world by reporting Belichick’s camp reached out to the Jets about their head coaching vacancy earlier this month. This is the same Belichick who left the franchise at the altar nearly a quarter century ago when he wrote, “I resign as HC of the NYJ” on a piece of paper before moving north to take the New England Patriots head coaching job.

Belichick spent decades tormenting the Jets and the rivalry has continued this season, where the former NFL head coach repeatedly ripped Johnson’s franchise on ESPN. Because of that cold-hearted relationship, Francesa has a hard time believing Belichick reached out to the Jets.

“My first thought was I didn’t believe it,” Francesa recently said on his podcast. “I’d have to hear more about it before I believe it. Because I just know how much contempt – and if you heard him talk this year you know that in any chance he ever gets to knock the Jets, he’s always done it…he has always despised the Jet franchise.

“So the idea that he would throw his hat in the ring in any outward way, I find it very surprising and I would need more proof before I even take that very seriously, to be honest with you. I just don’t think it’s something that would interest him.”

Belichick ultimately decided to join college football and took the North Carolina job before anything could come of his potential Jets interest.

“The way these franchises are run now, they don’t want one person running them anymore,” Francesa continued. “They want there to be a division of power and that does not play to Belichick’s strength. He went to a place where he can have complete control…he can have control of every facet of the entire program. Which he has.”

Maybe that’s why Belichick reaching out to the Jets makes some sense. Russini reported Belichick’s camp was quietly contacting NFL teams for months. If they were finding the interest level from other NFL teams to be bleak, it may have implored Belichick to see how desperate the Jets might be. The Jets had no issue handing the franchise keys to Aaron Rodgers, why wouldn’t they have considered doing the same with Belichick?

[The Mike Francesa Podcast]