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Bill Belichick may or may not return to the sidelines in 2024, with a quiet market following 24 seasons as the New England Patriots' head coach. But rumor has it the Philadelphia Eagles considered Belichick prior to end-of-year meetings with current coach Nick Sirianni, and not only that, but could revisit a potential Belichick pursuit if Sirianni can't revive the Eagles next season.

Philly was "very interested" in Belichick, NFL sources at the Senior Bowl told Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard. That was before the team decided to retain Sirianni for at least one more year. The latter oversaw a 1-6 finish to the 2023 season, including a first-round playoff defeat, after helping the Eagles advance to the Super Bowl in 2022. He's since begun remaking his staff, replacing both his offensive and defensive coordinator, but those changes likely stem from mandates by team ownership.

The Eagles "could be at the front of the line" for Belichick, Bedard says sources told him, if things again go poorly for Sirianni next year.

Because of a longtime relationship between Belichick and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who has a well-documented history of trading with the Patriots, Bedard said he's convinced Philly was one of several teams reported to be eyeing Belichick despite also having an existing coach in place.

It jibes with the notion that Sirianni entered the offseason without firm job security, despite going 34-17 as the Eagles' coach in his first three seasons. As NBC Sports' Peter King put it recently, the team's "instant-coffee type of changeover of coordinators is simply not a good sign for the staying power of Sirianni," who also replaced his defensive play-caller during the 2022 season.

King wrote that while he has no doubt that Sirianni's a good coach, after the Eagles brass allowed him to bring on new coordinators in two consecutive years, he doubts Sirianni "will have a third chance to wipe the slate clean."