The Bill Belichick Era came to a close last week in New England.

Over the last 24 years, Belichick has led the Patriots as arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. All time, he has 302 wins and 165 losses in the regular season, which includes a five-year stint in Cleveland, and an amazing .647 winning percentage. He also led the Pats to six Super Bowl victories and nine appearances, and if you add his two wins as a coordinator with the Giants, he has 8 Super Bowl wins.

No doubt, Belichick is a defensive genius and one of the best coaches in NFL history. And he could be bringing those talents to the LA Chargers or even the Las Vegas Raiders.

Bill Belichick to the AFC West? It could happen

No one knows for sure what that Raiders will do at head coach. They could end up keeping Antonio Pierce, the interim head coach whom the players love. But if a future Hall of Fame coach is an option, Mark Davis has to at least investigate, right?

Similarly, the Los Angeles Chargers are a potential landing spot for him. They are likely the more enticing option. There’s Justin Herbert, a superstar quarterback on the verge of entering his prime, and there are a ton of offensive weapons on that squad. Plus, Khalil Mack and Asante Samuel Jr. on the defensive side. With Belichick’s defensive prowess, he could focus on that part of the team, and allow someone else to run the offensive show.

At 71 years old, why would he want to keep coaching, though?

Well, for one, he’s only 15 wins away from taking Dan Shula’s all-time record for wins in the regular season and playoffs (347). Plus, if he resurrected another franchise, it would be another pin in his cap.

Jim Harbaugh in the AFC West, too?

It’s not just Bill Belichick to the AFC West that’s picking up steam, but Jim Harbaugh, too.

The battle-tested coach just won a National Championship at Michigan despite all the controversy of his sign stealing scandal hanging over the entire season. So, would he really want to make the leap back into the NFL?

Well, don’t forget he was among the Broncos top-4 last year, and even seemed like the frontrunner for a while.

And it’s not just that he could come back to the NFL, but both the Chargers and Raiders are potential landing spots for Harbaugh, too. Don’t forget, he was the San Francisco 49ers head coach from 2011-2015, even going head-to-head with his brother John in Super Bowl XLVII.

As of yesterday, oddsmakers had Harbaugh as the clear favorite to land the Chargers job.

AFC West would be loaded with four Hall of Fame coaches

Imagine a division where the head coaches look like this:

  • Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
  • Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
  • Bill Belichick, Las Vegas Raiders
  • Sean Payton, Denver Broncos

Simply, that’s scary if you’re a Broncos fan.

There’s been a lot of talk about the way Payton handled the Russell Wilson situation this year, with many calling him a bully in the media. Others simply don’t think he’s a great, or even good, coach anymore.

And no matter how high you are on Payton, there aren’t many football fans who would put him at the top of the list of those four coaches. Second? No. Maybe third because Harbaugh hasn’t coached in the NFL in nearly a decade.

Denver’s been behind basically everyone in their division for the last seven years, ever since winning Super Bowl 50.

The Chiefs have been the class of the West and it hasn’t been close, winning the West eight straight times with two Super Bowls over that period. Denver did finally beat Kansas City and Reid this year, so that’s something to be hopeful about. And both the Raiders and Chargers have been dumpster fires for about as long as the Broncos have been.

However, Belichick and Harbaugh are coaches who could potentially turn those organizations around in a hurry. Then again, the game may have passed either of both of them by. The four wins for the Patriots were the fewest in his 29 seasons as a head coach. And Harbaugh hasn’t been at this level in almost a decade.

Stay tuned for who the Raiders and Chargers hire, because if the Broncos can avoid either or both of those two legends, that’ll be a positive going into 2024.