Former Patriots HC Bill Belichick makes big announcement on his future

Bill Belichick has decided on what he will do with his free time next year. 

The former New England Patriots head coach made his plans official, announcing Thursday that he will join the cast of "Inside the NFL," the long-running HBO, Showtime and Paramount+ program that will air on The CW network this season.

Belichick, 72, won six Super Bowls with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots but has fallen short of surpassing Don Shula for most wins by a coach in NFL history.

He had hoped to get another head-coaching job in the league but hasn't been able to yet. 

According to NBC Sports, Belichick has a plan to potentially return to the head-coaching ranks in the NFL, but it will go through the broadcasting booth first.

He will join a cast that includes former NFL players Ryan Clark, Chris Long and Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson. The show combines studio analysts with NFL Films footage from the previous week's games and is widely considered to be aimed at football aficionados. 

Belichick will also work on "ManningCast," a live broadcast featuring Peyton and Eli Manning breaking down "Monday Night Football's" action. 

Belichick, who was born in Nashville, Tennessee, was replaced by former Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo this offseason after he went 4-13 with New England last season. 

The ex-Patriots coach had losing seasons in three of his last four campaigns with the Patriots, going 10-7 in 2021 as his Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Belichick needs 14 wins to tie Shula and 15 to surpass him, fueling speculation that he is attempting to position himself for another head-coaching job sometime in the future. 

He won his first Super Bowl with New England in 2001, the year the Patriots went 11-5 and Brady first became the team's starting quarterback.