Bill Belichick is reportedly eyeing the NFC East when he returns to coaching.

Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are among the jobs Belichick would consider if they become available.

The Eagles and Cowboys reportedly already considered bringing in Belichick this offseason. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman are both "fans" of Belichick and believe he still "has his fastball." However, the team was hesitant about firing Nick Sirianni and replacing him with a coach who might only be there for a short period.

"You'll have to start over again," a source said of the Eagles' thought process. "Who would replace him? He hasn't had a good record of developing coaches. They were afraid that he'll have changed everything and every person, and [then] you'll be starting from scratch again. He didn't demand those changes, but they felt like, if we hire him, we have to give everything to him and trust how he does it."

The Cowboys are also a natural fit, but owner Jerry Jones "quickly" decided to stick with Mike McCarthy for the 2024 season. McCarthy will be coaching in the final year of his contract.

Belichick was only seriously considered for the Atlanta Falcons' vacancy, which went to Raheem Morris. Atlanta interviewed Belichick twice for the opening, but Patriots owner Robert Kraft reportedly warned Falcons owner Arthur Blank to "not trust" the future Hall of Famer.

"I don't think they'd try to hurt Belichick," one source said of the Krafts. "But I don't think they'd try to help him either. They weren't going to try to sink him. He was finished as an effective head coach. Just look at his last four years in New England. A disaster ... If you're Arthur Blank, why do you want the headaches?"

While Blank may have been turned off by the reviews of Belichick, all it takes is one team to take a chance. Sirianni and McCarthy will walk into next season with their seats red hot. The Eagles changed both their offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason after a second-half collapse, and McCarthy will almost certainly be ousted if the Cowboys fail again in the postseason.

Given the solid relationship between Belichick and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Dallas has long felt like a natural fit. But the Eagles' interest in Belichick could lead to an NFC East bidding war.

The Giants feel like a distant third in this race given their lack of playoff-caliber talent on the roster. While there would be synergy in Belichick finishing his coaching career where he won two rings as an assistant, it's hard to imagine him taking on a rebuild.