Bill Belichick could’ve broken the internet if a deal with this NFL team materialized

After losing out on the Atlanta Falcons job last year, the expectation was that Bill Belichick would get a crack at coaching another NFL team following his departure from the New England Patriots. But to the shock of everyone, Belichick entered negotiations with the North Carolina Tar Heels to coach their college football program. Despite not having any prior college coaching experience, Belichick accepted the position, and will now be the Tar Heels' head coach.

As it turns out, Belichick's camp reached out to an NFL team before ultimately accepting the North Carolina job.

According to The Athletic senior NFL insider Dianna Russini (subscription required), Belichick's camp reached out to the New York Jets to express interest in their head coaching vacancy about two weeks prior to taking the North Carolina job. Russini said that there was a "small circle of people in the Jets building" who were aware of Belichick's interest, but there was no meeting or interview scheduled.

Jets beat reporter for the New York Post, Brian Costello backed Russini's report, but said that it was Belichick himself who reached out to the Jets.

Bill Belichick reached out to Jets about head coaching vacancy before taking North Carolina job

Furthermore, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports that Belichick was told by the Jets that they are just beginning their head coaching search.

It is wild to believe that Belichick, who tortured the Jets organization for over 20 years after his much-publicized departure from the team. For those unaware, before the 2000 season, Belichick had taken the head coaching job, where he would replace Bill Parcells. But Belichick wrote "I resign as HC of the NYJ" on a piece of paper and handed it to the team. From there, he went to the Patriots, where he won six Super Bowl titles, all while playing the Jets twice a season.

It would have been weird to see Belichick go back to the Jets after his departure, but it seems like he was gauging interest before heading to North Carolina.

The Jets are in a rough spot currently. They were expected to contend with Aaron Rodgers returning from an Achilles injury and with their mid-year trade for Davante Adams. Instead, they are currently 3-10 on the season after firing head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. With this in mind, finding a head coach and a general manager will be a task, as they will likely have to decide if they want to undergo a rebuild or continue to run it back with a 41-year-old Rodgers under center.

We'll see who the Jets end up with before the start of the league year. All we do know is that it won't be Belichick leading the team on the sidelines, as he is now entering the college football world for the foreseeable future.