Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick “still would like to return to return to coaching in 2025,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported the 72-year-old “is expected to be choosy if and when he returns to the sideline.”

The NFL insider said Belichick “had multiple opportunities to join various staffs this past offseason as a defensive coordinator or some type of decorated assistant role.” However, he has his eyes on a head coaching gig next year.

An obvious question is why teams around the league would view the future Hall of Famer any differently next spring than they did during the last hiring cycle.

Once it became clear toward the end of the 2023 season Belichick’s tenure with the New England Patriots was drawing to a close, many assumed he’d be one of the hottest coaching candidates on the board. He’s a six-time Super Bowl champion and the greatest head coach of the modern era.

The thinking was that Belichick, given his age, would be a short-term solution for a franchise either on the cusp of contention or looking to make a quick turnaround.

It turns out, Belichick’s success with the Patriots didn’t count for much, and the reputation he gained as the singular source of personnel power in New England preceded him.

ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler reported in April he “failed to persuade” Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and other team executives he’d be willing to evolve and work more collaboratively. Even more damning, Patriots owner Robert Kraft reached out to Blank “to warn him not to trust Bill.”

It’s hard to see how Belichick’s odds of getting hired improve when he’ll be one year older in 2025 and will have spent a full season out of the NFL.