Bill Belichick becoming the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels was not on many NFL insiders’ bingo cards this year.

Still, several members in the league sent their hearty congratulations to the ex-New England Patriots coach, including Dallas Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy. 

Belichick, who was passed over during last offseason’s NFL hiring cycle, shockingly decided to take his coaching talents to the ACC with North Carolina, finalizing a five-year deal Wednesday night. Prior to the hire, the 72-year-old was heavily rumored to be an option to replace McCarthy next season if owner Jerry Jones wanted to shake things up.

McCarthy shared his reaction to Belichick’s hiring shortly after the news broke:

“Wow, that’s great. That’s a beautiful place. No, I’m serious. I think it’s cool, I really do. Coaching is coaching,” McCarthy said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “I have a lot of respect for Bill and the job that he’s always done. He was always very difficult to compete against… Congratulations to him. I’m happy for him.”

McCarthy, 60, is currently coaching in his fifth and final year of his Cowboys contract, putting together three straight 12-win seasons and clinching a pair of NFC East titles during his tenure. However, he’s gone just 1–3 in the playoffs, with Dallas potentially falling short of a postseason berth this year amid a disappointing 5–8 campaign.

With that in mind, NFL fans theorized that McCarthy was also happy about the Belichick hire for another reason: His job was safe.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mike McCarthy’s Quote on Bill Belichick Led to Lots of Jokes About Cowboys Contract.

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