CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) — (UPDATE) Bill Belichick has been extended an offer to become the next University of North Carolina football head coach.

Belichick has spoken extensively with Chancellor Lee Roberts about the opening since Mack Brown’s departure. Negotiations are currently underway between UNC and Belichick’s camp.

Below is a previous report.

Bill Belichick confirmed in an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday afternoon that he has been negotiating with the University of North Carolina for the school’s open coaching position.

Sources told ESPN that talks between UNC and the 73-year-old Belichick have continued and a resolution is expected this week.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Belichick met with North Carolina officials for five hours on Sunday. A smiling Belichick declined comment when asked specifically about this interview, joking that he wanted to keep his old press conference aura.

Belichick confirmed to McAfee that he had “some good conversations” with UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts. He added, “We’ll see how that goes.” He ended the interview by saying of the UNC job, “We’ll see. We’ll see.”

Inside Carolina first reported that Belichick interviewed with UNC last week, a report later confirmed by The Associated Press as the Tar Heels search for a replacement for Mack Brown. The school fired its all-time winningest coach and College Football Hall of Famer, announcing Nov. 26 that he would not return for a seventh season in his second stint with the school.

Brown coached his finale in the Nov. 30 loss to rival NC State.

The move from the 73-year-old Brown to the 72-year-old Belichick would mean UNC turning to a coach who has never worked at the collegiate level but has produced incredible NFL talent alongside quarterback Tom Brady for most of his 24 years. His one-year tenure with the Patriots ended last season.
He has since been linked to NFL appearances, most notably with the Atlanta Falcons in January.

Belichick spoke hypothetically about what his college program might look like, emphasizing, “IF he took a college job.” He noted that modern college football is much more like the NFL.

While Belichick didn’t delve into the specifics of his UNC discussions, he did offer insight into the parallels he sees between leading an NFL team at the college level, where players now have the opportunity to capitalize on their athletic fame through endorsements , and with the arrival of sees there is a threat of a revenue share.

“If I were to go to a college program, the college program would be a connection to the NFL for the players that would have the opportunity to play in the NFL,” Belichick said. “It would be a professional program: training, nutrition, programming, coaching, techniques that would translate to the NFL.”

“It would be a college-level NFL program.”

Additionally, Belichick has at least a small family connection to the UNC program; his late father, Steve, was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 1953 to 1955.

The NCAA transfer portal opened Monday, potentially putting UNC’s roster in motion. Sources told ESPN that Belichick met with UNC officials in New York last week and dialogue has continued.

For UNC, the candidate pool outside of Belichick is dwindling, which has increased the pressure to hire him.

Tulane coach Jon Sumrall will no longer be associated with the job. Tulane announced Monday that it has reached an agreement in principle with Sumrall on a contract extension.

Sumrall and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith were two names most strongly linked to the job during the hiring process. Smith is no longer in that job. Iowa State coach Matt Campbell has also been mentioned as a possible candidate.

UNC has also spoken with Army’s Jeff Monken about the opening, a source told ESPN’s Chris Low.

It is uncertain how intense UNC’s talks with Belichick are, according to sources, unless they have already been ongoing for an extended period of time.

Sources say UNC’s search has been scattered because of uncertainty in the industry about who is conducting it. Board of Trustees Chairman John P. Preyer has been a key supporter of Belichick throughout the process and has motivated a group at the school advocating for Belichick’s eventual hiring.

Some people with ties to Belichick are skeptical he would take the job since he has never worked in college football. Others say he was sincere and thorough in his interests and had a desire to return to the sidelines.

A number of issues arise in the Belichick courtship, including the potential role of his son Stephen Belichick, UNC’s NIL resources, Belichick’s salary and staff resources.

Belichick made it clear Monday afternoon that he was still interested in the job. And there are many additional signs in the landscape to prove this.

UNC officials have hypothetically talked about potential interest from players if Belichick took the job. They stressed that nothing had been done but had discussions about the idea.

Pete Thamel and Chris Low of ESPN and The Associated Press contributed.