The famously concise Bill Belichick is about to become Mr. Media.
In his transition from the sidelines, Belichick, the longtime New England Patriots coach, will make millions with an anticipated recurring role with the Manning brothers on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli,” a book deal, a potential inside football show and possibly a podcast, executives briefed on his plans told The Athletic.
Belichick will start his post-Patriots career on Thursday with the NFL Draft, when he will join “The Pat McAfee Show” as an analyst. McAfee said publicly in February he would like to have Belichick on his show once a week during the season, so expanding his role with McAfee after Thursday also seems conceivable. Most of McAfee’s three-hour show is also on ESPN.
As Belichick’s full plans come into focus, the exact amount he will make is unknown, but it will be well into the millions, according to those briefed on his current and anticipated deals. His book deal advance is expected to be well into the seven figures, according to media executives and publishing sources briefed on his negotiations.
After ending his nearly quarter-century run in New England with six Super Bowl rings, the 71-year-old Belichick has been a sought-after media personality. He has made it clear in meetings with network executives that he didn’t want a regular weekly desk job on any of the NFL preview shows.
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While a deal with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions is not yet fully agreed upon, it is moving in that direction. The “Manningcast” was on ESPN’s networks for 10 of the network’s 25 games last season.
Belichick would not be on for every game but would appear pretty regularly during the season, which would be a new wrinkle for the show. In its first three years, guests appeared once during a season. This would be an audible for Omaha, as it would set segments to hear Belichick with the Mannings on multiple games.
The Manning-Belichick arrangement has added intrigue because of the longtime on-field rivalry between the Mannings and Tom Brady, who had the bulk of his success under Belichick’s tutelage in New England.
The Athletic first reported in early March that Manning was pursuing Belichick for a role with his company. Last week, ESPN said that Belichick is expected to sign a deal with Omaha Productions, but did not specify a role. Omaha Productions partly serves as an arm of ESPN.
Intriguingly, Belichick could also be part of an undetermined football show with Omaha. Belichick has discussed starting a podcast with different platforms. In late March, The Athletic reported that Belichick is writing a book, which ESPN later said would focus on leadership.
It is apparent Belichick wants to lead again and return to coaching. His 333 all-time NFL head coaching victories put him just 14 behind Don Shula. A year from now, he could be back on the sidelines. In the meantime, Belichick is about to become Mr. Media, starting during Thursday’s draft with McAfee on ESPN+, YouTube and TikTok.
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