Bill Belichick's future is uncertain.
After a 4-13 season with the New England Patriots, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach could be switching teams next season.
Belichick has been with the Patriots since 2000, racking up a 266-121 regular season record with 30 playoff wins and nine Super Bowl appearances. But the team has tailed off in recent years since Tom Brady's departure, leading some to believe that the end of his tenure in New England is near.
If Belichick were to leave the Patriots -- either on his own volition or with help from owner Robert Kraft -- what would his next move be? He's just 15 wins away from passing Don Shula for the most wins ever by a head coach (including playoffs), so it's unlikely that he would retire.
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NBC Sports' Michael Smith and Michael Holley debated the topic on Monday's episode of "Brother From Another" -- and they see an unexpected potential suitor that could emerge if the playoffs don't go well.
"(Dallas Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones has great respect for Belichick," Holley said.
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While the Cowboys have an established head coach in Mike McCarthy and just won the NFC East, there's still speculation that his job is unsafe. Jones fueled the fire when asked about McCarthy's job security, saying they would "see how each game goes in the playoffs."
The last two seasons have ended in playoff heartbreak for Jones' Cowboys. Another unexpected loss, especially as the NFC's No. 2 seed, could possibly lead him to make a change.
"I'm not trying to push Mike McCarthy out of the door -- he's done a good job," Smith said. "But the last couple of years, it's always ended the same for Dallas. It's always ended with questions about Mike McCarthy."
Smith's biggest question about a Belichick-Jones marriage would be the power dynamic. Belichick has long acted as the de facto general manager in New England, but Jones holds that title for the Cowboys.
"I always assumed there would be no way he would give up personnel power," Smith said. "... For somebody like Belichick, the type of players go hand in hand with the way he coaches. I don't know that somebody who isn't Bill Belichick, or doesn't have a perfect simpatico, can pick players for Bill Belichick."
Still, Holley sees this as an ideal fit with both sides having something to gain.
"They both need something at this stage of their careers," Holley argued. "They both need something -- they're desperate for that thing. Jerry Jones is desperate to do it with a new era of players, to get to the Super Bowl and win it without people saying 'He won those two with Jimmy (Johnson), then that Barry Switzer one, but that was Jimmy's players, he built that team.' He has not been back this century.
"And Bill Belichick -- it may seem silly to you, may seem silly to others -- he wants to catch and pass Don Shula. That means a lot to him. He would never give up control in New England, but if he goes somewhere else where it's a better operation?"
This speculation won't be quieted until Belichick and the Patriots cut ties and the Cowboys are eliminated from the playoffs, so it could be a long month of uncertainty for both franchises.
