Bill Belichick coaching update is awful news for the LA Chargers

After three disappointing head coaches and a hiring cycle that was hectic last year, the LA Chargers are happy to have a beacon of consistency in Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh has already made a tangible difference in the entire organization and will continue to do so for years to come.

While Harbaugh brings a sense of stability that did not exist in years past, the Chargers will still have to deal with the head coach cycle this upcoming offseason. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has become a hot name in league circles as the Chargers have the top defense in the entire league.

The Chargers could be bailed out by several other big-name coaching candidates who will also be in the market for a head coach job this winter. Unfortunately for the Bolts, though, one of those big-name candidates may be dropping out of the market entirely.

Future Hall of Fame head coach Bill Belichick will likely return to coaching in 2025 but not where anyone expected him to be. Belichick spoke to UNC about their job opening and according to the The Athletic, Belichick is weighing an offer from the university to take over the program. While nothing is official, the ball appears to be firmly in Belichick's court.

Update: Bill Belichick has officially accepted the UNC head coaching job.

Bill Belichick coaching UNC is bad news for the Chargers

Belichick taking his name out of the NFL head coach market could have a ripple effect that impacts the Chargers. Minter may go from a potential head coach candidate who gets a few interviews to someone who actually leaves the Chargers after one year.

The trio of big-name coaches that could theoretically shield the Chargers are Belichick, Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson. Belichick exiting the fray reduces that number to two with more than two job openings this winter.

The New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears already have openings. It is almost a guarantee that the Jacksonville Jaguars job will be open while the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders jobs may also open as well.

Teams like the Cowboys and Raiders likely want stability in their head coach and don't care if they are offensive or defensive. For that reason, Vrabel (and Belichick if he were to be in the NFL coaching market) would make sense for those teams.

Chicago and Jacksonville likely want an offensive-minded head coach with their pair of star quarterbacks. That takes Minter out of the equation and could give Johnson his choice of No. 1 overall pick to coach.

The number game starts to catch up to the Chargers, though, as the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are wild cards who may not go big-name hunting. If either of those teams wants a good head coach who may not come at a premium cost, Minter is their guy.

Of course, Belichick being in the coaching cycle doesn't guarantee Minter will stay in Los Angeles. However, it does give teams one more option to consider over Minter, who, let's face it, is still a tad bit unproven in the NFL with only one year of coordinator experience.

The Chargers recently hired a defensive-minded coach with one year of coordinator experience who led the best defense in the league and that didn't turn out well for them. Minter is no Brandon Staley, but that cautionary tale could at least work in the Chargers' favor in 2025.

But if Belichick is in the NCAA, it may not even matter much.

More Chargers news and analysis: