Bill Belichick is just 15 wins away from breaking Miami Dolphins legend Don Shula's all-time NFL record for the most wins (regular season and playoffs combined) by a head coach.
Shula has 347 wins, while Belichick is at 333.
Given that he's so close to breaking Shula's record and has deep respect for the history of the sport, it wouldn't be surprising if Belichick really wanted to break this record.
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But Belichick won't be breaking this record anytime soon. He just became the head football coach at the University of North Carolina, where he signed a five-year contract.
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The legendary head coach was asked about Shula's record during Monday's appearance on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show, and he didn't seem too excited about the possibility of breaking it.
"I never really gave that one a lot of thought, to be completely honest with you. It's not about wins to me, it's about championships," Belichick said. "That's what I wanna do, I wanna win championships. The wins are great, and you've gotta win games to win championships, I get that. But to me, it's about championships, and that's really what I'm most proud of is not how many games we won -- because it is hard to win in the NFL, I am proud of the games we won and the teams that won them, but I'm proud of the championships I was a member of and contributed to.
"Teams win championships, and I'm proud to be a member of eight teams that won. They weren't my teams, I was part of those teams. That's really what means the most to me.
"When we look back at the games that we won and (be) proud of those moments, but it's when you can put together a full season and walk off the field as the best team at the end of the year, that's what really means the most to me.
"However many wins that was, 300-something or whatever the number is, it's great. And I'm not being disrespectful at all -- what means the most to me is the eight Super Bowl trophies that I had a small part in, and I'm very proud to have been part of those teams."
"It's not about wins to me it's about championships..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 16, 2024
I wanna win championships and that's really what I'm most proud of..
Teams win championships and that's what means the most to me" ~ Coach Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/ZeexIcHWBx
Belichick's six Super Bowl championships as an NFL head coach -- all won with the New England Patriots -- are the most in history. He also won two Super Bowl titles as the New York Giants defensive coordinator in the 1980s. Belichick's 31 career playoff wins are a league record, too.
It's possible that Belichick could return to the NFL someday and chase Shula's record. But he's also 72 years old and has nothing left to prove as a coach.
And right now, Belichick has plenty of challenges ahead of him in trying to rebuild a Tar Heels program that just had a disappointing college football regular season.