Bill Belichick’s UNC squad, NFL Films fail to reach agreement on ‘Hard Knocks’

Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels won’t end up on “Hard Knocks” after all.

UNC‘s deal to be featured on “Hard Knocks: Offseason” has fallen through, a spokesperson for NFL Media confirmed to CBS Sports on Tuesday.

“NFL Films had discussions with Coach Belichick and UNC about appearing on “Hard Knocks” this offseason but couldn’t reach an agreement,” the spokesperson told CBS Sports. NFL Films is an entity of NFL Media.

It was reported in late February that UNC was expected to be on the upcoming edition of “Hard Knocks: Offseason” after show producers struggled to find an NFL team willing to participate in the 2025 version, according to Front Office Sports. The New York Giants were featured in the inaugural edition of “Hard Knocks: Offseason” in 2024, which highlighted general manager Joe Schoen’s failed contract negotiations with Saquon Barkley.

A deal was never finalized, though, between UNC and NFL Films. The two sides ultimately failed to come to terms on creative control of the series, CBS Sports reported.

Last Friday, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi confirmed that the program was hopeful a deal could be struck in an interview with ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show.”

“There’s a lot of conversations going on right now about that,” Lombardi said. “We’ve had a lot of offers from people all over to come in and look at our program and kind of do the behind-the-scenes things, but I don’t think anything’s yet been official or signed.”

UNC is still looking to do some sort of behind-the-scenes series ahead of Belichick’s first season in Chapel Hill, according to CBS Sports. Belichick, who turns 73 in April, surprisingly agreed to become the head coach of the Tar Heels in December. It’s the first official coaching job Belichick has held in the college ranks, making the jump after winning six Super Bowl titles as the New England Patriots‘ head coach.

What are the expectations for Bill Belichick in his first season at UNC?

There has been some speculation that Belichick is using the UNC gig as a means to get back into the NFL. He’s only interviewed for one head coaching position since the Patriots let him go in January 2024, losing out on the Atlanta Falcons job last offseason. He didn’t interview for any of the head coach vacancies in the NFL this offseason.

As for “Hard Knocks,” it appears unlikely that any NFL team will participate in the offseason edition of the show, CBS Sports reported. It’s unknown if there are rules in place where the NFL can force a team to appear on the offseason edition of “Hard Knocks” like it does with the training camp version of the show.

The team to be featured in the traditional training camp version of “Hard Knocks” is typically announced in the spring. If no other team volunteers, it will be the Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks or Tennessee Titans this year, based on the NFL’s criteria for selecting a team.

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