Bill Belichick has joined Instagram.
What would have been a shocking headline a decade ago is perhaps not all that surprising in 2024 for the six-time Super Bowl–winning head coach after he failed to land one of the NFL’s 32 most coveted jobs this fall. Belichick gained more than 300,000 followers on his first day on the social media app that he still facetiously dubbed “InstaFace” in his first post.
That’s a good sign for the former coach, who is seemingly striving to prove he’s still at the top of his game by racking up as many media gigs as he can. This season, Belichick will stay in the NFL spotlight through virtually every medium available, from linear TV to streaming to radio and even, now, social media.
Channel Surfing
Belichick has already lined up a half dozen weekly media jobs during the 2024 NFL season:
- The Pat McAfee Show: Guest interview slot each Monday on the popular, and sometimes controversial, program that airs on ESPN and YouTube
- ManningCast: Featured guest during the first half of all 11 editions of the alternate Monday Night Football telecast on ESPN2 with Peyton and Eli Manning
- The Breakdown with Peyton and Belichick: A 30-minute ESPN+ show released each Friday, previewing that week’s upcoming MNF matchup
- Inside the NFL: Full-time cast member on the long-running show that now airs on The CW on Friday nights
- Let’s Go!: Cohost of SiriusXM show alongside Jim Gray, Peter King, and Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. Tom Brady, the show’s former cohost, will still make some appearances on the Monday evening program
- Coach with Bill Belichick: Digital show from Underdog Fantasy featuring breakdowns on various players and teams
In addition to the media work, Belichick has also signed on as a strategic adviser for The 33rd Team, a website emphasizing NFL content from former players, coaches, and executives.
The Belichick Way
Belichick is taking a more aggressive approach to media work than other recent head coaches who have successfully returned to the NFL following a year off.
After Sean Payton stepped down from coaching the Saints, he spent the 2022 NFL season as a studio analyst for Fox before signing an $18 million annual contract with the Broncos last year. Neither Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy nor Jaguars coach Doug Pederson had any full-time media jobs during their off years in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
