Bill Belichick is a free agent.

Wow.

Just when you think the NFL “script” can’t take you in a completely unexpected direction – and, yes, Belichick’s divorce from the New England Patriots doesn’t come as a shock now (but just a few months ago?) – the league's greatest modern coach is suddenly about to assess his employment options.

Many NFL observers, insiders and talking heads have suggested 31 teams should be lining up for BB’s services – OK, sure. It’d be fun to consider how good a fit he’d be for a third head coaching stint with the New York Jets – his two (ridiculously brief) previous tenures producing a 0-0 record – and maybe every club he’s never worked for.

But the league’s coaching carousel is in overdrive, so no time to waste on wholly unrealistic scenarios here. At present, these nine teams – listed alphabetically – seem like ones that could realistically vie for Belichick’s legendary services and perhaps even drastically change their current circumstances to do so:

Atlanta Falcons

Some thought bubble paraphrasing, just for fun? “OK, Tom Brady, how about I move into your sad little division and see if I can double (or triple) the number of Lombardi Trophies you won here? Also – and, a thousand apologies, sir – but, dearest Mr. Blank, I feel like I owe you a Super Bowl or two after that regrettable episode in Houston seven years ago.” In all seriousness, money would be no object if team owner Arthur Blank puts on the full-court press to get Belichick. And though GM Terry Fontenot was retained following former HC Arthur Smith’s firing after midnight Monday, organizational control also isn’t likely to be much of an issue when it comes to an 81-year-old owner trying to bring a 58-year-old franchise its first championship. And it’s not like this is a team in tatters. Yes, the Falcons need a solution at quarterback, but the supporting cast appears to be quite upwardly mobile: TE Kyle Pitts, WR Drake London, RB Bijan Robinson, S Jessie Bates III, CB A.J. Terrell, K Younghoe Koo plus the makings of an elite offensive line led by RG Chris Lindstrom. Atlanta is also projected to have roughly $30 million in cap space to ameliorate other areas. With Belichick on the sideline, this might be a 10-win team even if it ran a 10-man offense.

Chicago Bears

Matt Eberflus is still in charge … a day after OC Luke Getsy and several offensive assistants were served up as sacrificial lambs. But several coaches around the league – certainly Eberflus among them – should be watching their backs when the greatest coach since Vince Lombardi is on the loose. And why wouldn’t a football historian like Belichick want a job, one of the two oldest in the NFL along with the Cardinals, that allows him to coach in the Soldier Field snow against those Green Bay Packers in the league’s longest-running rivalry? Oh yeah, there’s also the matter of choosing between ascending QB Justin Fields or replacing him, via the 2024 draft’s No. 1 pick, with Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. Stick with Fields, and you’re probably getting a massive payoff to offload that draft selection and then building out a young roster that already took a huge step forward in 2023. And GM Ryan Poles, assuming he’d stick around in this scenario given the generally good work he’s already put in, could help apportion the $60+ million available this year for free agency, even after acquiring and extending DE Montez Sweat at the trade deadline. Your move, McCaskeys. Maybe.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Let’s acknowledge off the top that, among 29-year-old “expansion” franchises, the Carolina Panthers have a vacant HC position, not the Jags. But would you rather work for trigger-happy Carolina owner David Tepper and a team that just earned the No. 1 pick of the draft for the Bears? Or would you wonder if Jaguars owner Shad Khan, whose team just sacked its defensive staff, maybe sweeps out HC Doug Pederson and the rest after an 8-3 start (and presumed years of dominance over the AFC South) ended with a 9-8 finish and plenty of time to play on Duval County’s beautiful golf courses. Spending a few weeks a year in Old England might not entice Belichick if this job presented itself – but QB Trevor Lawrence, an array of offensive weaponry and a high-ceiling defense that obviously required better coaching would sure be alluring. So is a lovely new training facility and enough roster flexibility to lure more desired players into it. Speculative? Maybe. But among things we know, Khan can afford to make a switch and should consider it given the circumstances.

Las Vegas Raiders

A lot of work to be done here – a lot – which was also the case in Foxborough in 2000. But Belichick himself extolled the abilities of Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby, Josh Jacobs, AJ Cole and Daniel Carlson, among others, before playing the Raiders. And while the Silver and Black are one of the NFL’s proudest franchises, there’s an opportunity to revive their legacy in a new city and in a fancy new stadium off the Strip. Yet owner Mark Davis, who’s in the process of building a WNBA dynasty – one that stretches league rules like the Patriots often did under BB – would have to decide if he wants to try and replicate New England’s success after watching the “Patriot Way” fail so spectacularly five minutes ago, leading to the ouster of former Belichick lieutenants Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. And Belichick would have to weigh how much he really wants to deal with Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes after becoming so accustomed to ruling the AFC East with an iron fist.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chiefs issue obviously applies here, too. But one major consideration could trump all others: QB Justin Herbert, who’s about to enter his prime but has been challenged to approach his vast potential amid near-constant staff turnover. That might offset a talented but underachieving roster that’s almost surely going to be purged of some combination of stars (Keenan Allen? Joey Bosa? Khalil Mack? Mike Williams?) just to become cap-compliant. But owner Dean Spanos, who’s struggling to keep up with the Joneses (and Rams) in Hollywood, also has an open general manager’s chair that Belichick could either keep warm – much as he struggles in the role – or fill with a person of his choice. And those chairs are bound to be awfully comfy when the Bolts’ swanky new El Segundo headquarters open in a few months.

New York Giants

It’s a longish shot, especially for an organization that doesn’t operate capriciously. But Belichick’s affinity for the franchise that basically raised him is well known. And whether 2022 Coach of the Year Brian Daboll’s team overachieved in his first season or regressed in 2023, it’s not like there’s not ample room for improvement here. Given an unsettled quarterback position after Daniel Jones’ 2023 retrograde and core players like RB Saquon Barkley and S Xavier McKinney on the road to free agency, this still feels like a quasi-rebuild situation, even with at least $30 million in the player acquisition bank. But Belichick’s comfort level with the Mara family would theoretically go a long way … if the Giants were indeed willing to chart an unexpected course correction.

Philadelphia Eagles

Yes, it might be getting so bad in the City of Brotherly Shove that (more) massive changes could be considered, pending the outcome of Monday night’s wild-card game in Tampa for a Philly team that’s lost five of six. And this isn’t even to suggest HC Nick Sirianni and his staff deserve to be swept out less than a year after coming oh-so-close to winning Super Bowl 57. But this gets back to the premise that any owner – even Jeffrey Lurie – has to take stock of his operation when a mastermind of Belichick’s caliber, not he has a contemporary equal, becomes available. (And wouldn’t Lurie just delight in the notion of setting Belichick loose on Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys twice a year?) And if Belichick was potentially open to working with EVP/GM Howie Roseman, who’s been on the Eagles’ payroll as long as Belichick was on New England’s, that could be a good way of threading the continuity needle while keeping personnel matters divorced from the coach’s plate. But if Belichick, 71, wants to win big now? And Lurie’s not convinced Sirianni can get this talented team over the Super Bowl hump? Far stranger things have happened in the NFL.

Seattle Seahawks

History suggests that good things happen when Belichick replaces Pete Carroll (which happened in New England 24 years ago for you youngsters). BB would have to be on the screws in a division where Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan are your counterparts, and the Arizona Cardinals seem poised to rise from the Phoenix ashes quickly. But Belichick never retreats from a challenge. And the facilities in the Pacific Northwest are A+, there’s another great general manager (John Schneider) in place to handle personnel, roster and cap issues – and, as Carroll noted after being kicked upstairs Wednesday, there’s plenty to work with on a team that’s gone 9-8 the past two seasons with Geno Smith behind center. Yes, probably a few costly veterans (Jamal Adams? Tyler Lockett? Quandre Diggs?) that need to be purged for cap – and maybe other – reasons. But the makings of a solid nucleus are present on both sides of the ball, and Smith is at least serviceable if not a long-term answer. Finally – and not for nothing, Bill – but we know you like boats. Seattle is basically one big, beautiful shipyard – and a good spot to upgrade your “VIII Rings” skiff to a “IX Rings” superyacht. Just saying.

Washington Commanders

If you’re Belichick, it’s a burgundy-and-golden opportunity to restore a once-proud franchise to relevance … even if it’s likely going to take a few years and require playing at a rickety stadium an hour from the team’s substandard suburban practice base of operations. And if you’re rookie owner Josh Harris, if you’re willing to pause and/or pivot from your current search for a football czar, you can offer a Brink’s truck worth of generational wealth, the No. 2 pick in the draft (one that theoretically stops the team’s quarterbacking merry-go-round), the most cap space in the league (approximately $75 million) to reboot this roster and, almost certainly, whatever level of organizational control is required to close the deal. And if that’s actually not quite enough? Buy a docking berth for “VIII Rings” in Annapolis, Md., so Belichick can get back to his beloved Naval Academy stomping grounds whenever time permits ... which might not be until 2026 given the state of the Commanders at the moment.

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Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Belichick's next NFL job? Falcons, Chargers stand out for options