The North Carolina Tar Heels football general manager told OutKick's Ricky Cobb that Bill Belichick will be staying with the program despite rampant rumors to the contrary.

The general manager of the North Carolina Tar Heels has defiantly claimed Bill Belichick will not abandon college football for an immediate return to the NFL, after the 72-year-old

North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick and school officials have signed his official employment contract.

The formal contract, signed by Belichick on Wednesday and approved by the school, outlines a slew of bonuses and perks for the 72-year-old first-time college coach.

Bill Belichick's contract is still a focal point at North Carolina, and an NFL insider doubled down on the report and took aim at the staff.

Belichick, 72, was hired as Hall of Fame coach Mack Brown's replacement after the Tar Heels finished the season at 6-7 with a bowl loss to UConn. Brown, the winningest coach in program history, led UNC to six straight bowl appearances in six seasons.

And even as he hires assistant coaches and insists North Carolina is where he ... one team or the other might gauge his interest. Michael Lombardi, Belichick’s right-hand man and general ...

One of the biggest potential free agent names this offseason in the NFL could very well be Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. The former first-round pick has been a key piece of the puzzle for the Bengals for the last five years and is looking for a big payday after being franchise-tagged by Cincinnati before last season.

Donovan has known the former Patriots coach since his days when he was coaching the Florida Gators to back-to-back national championships. So it wasn't unusual for Belichick to show up at the United Center on Monday.

Shortly after it was reported that Liam Coen would reject an opportunity to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' next head coach to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive coordinator, some suggested that Buccaneers ownership viewed Coen as an eventual replacement for current Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles.

It started Wednesday when the former New England Patriots coach took an unprompted shot at PFT, particularly the site’s creator Mike Florio. During his regular appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show, Belichick was asked about the concerns that the coach was slow to hire staff since taking the North Carolina job.

Former NFL head coach Bill Belichick thinks the Lombardi Trophy should be named after none other than Tom Brady.