North Carolina GM Michael Lombardi adamantly pushes back on report about Bill Belichick's unsigned contract: 'The NFL isn't a option'

News broke Thursday morning that North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick has still not signed his contract to coach the Tar Heels, leading to speculation that he could be interested in coaching in the NFL in 2025, instead.

UNC General Manager Michael Lombardi took to Twitter to push back on the notion that Belichick has any interest in coaching in the NFL.

“Bill is recruiting in DC today and Baltimore tomorrow,” Michael Lombardi posted. “His focus is on North Carolina football, hiring staff members and developing the team. The NFL isn’t a option so please stop making it one. Thank you.”

Bill Belichick agreed to become the North Carolina head coach back in December. His contract is a five-year deal worth $10 million per season.

As written in Belichick’s term sheet proposal, the former New England Patriots head coach would owe a buyout of $10 million if he left the program before June 1, 2025. That figure drops down to just $1 million after June 1. 

Bill Belichick was asked about possibly leaving North Carolina to coach in the NFL again during his introductory press conference in Chapel Hill.

“Yeah, I didn’t come here to leave,” Belichick stated.

Still, that has not kept speculation from taking place as jobs around the NFL, including the Dallas Cowboys position, have come open.

ESPN reporter Ed Werder added that despite the speculation about the NFL and the unsigned contract, Bill Belichick is planning to stay at North Carolina and coach the Tar Heels.

“I’m told the offer sheet between Bill Belichick and North Carolina is binding, that Belichick is on a recruiting trip right now and there is no plan for him to renege on his current agreement for any potential NFL offer,” Werder posted on Twitter.

This isn’t the first time that Michael Lombardi has pushed back on a report about Belichick potentially leaving for the NFL.

Certainly recruiting is made a bit more difficult if there’s a door cracked for the NFL, something North Carolina is currently contending with.

Pro Football Talk wrote a piece outlining concerns that Bill Belichick’s slow pace in assembling his staff has left some nerves in Chapel Hill about “the possibility that Belichick will activate his $10 million buyout and bolt for the NFL.”

Belichick’s general manager at North Carolina, Michael Lombardi, pushed back.

“We are not slow, just being diligent, hired three people on Sunday, not one is nervous other than this erronous report,” Lombardi wrote on Twitter. “A completly fabracated story. thank you.”

North Carolina has already hired some staff members.

Freddie Kitchens, a holdover from Mack Brown‘s staff, has been named the offensive coordinator. Steve Belichick, Bill Belichick’s son, has been named the defensive coordinator. Matt Lombardi is an offensive assistant, while Chris Jones is a defensive assistant. And Moses Cabrera, a Bill Belichick associate from his days in New England, is the head strength and conditioning coach.