Amid a tough first season at North Carolina, Bill Belichick has confirmed he has no interest in returning to the NFL.

Belichick said he wouldn't be pursuing the open New York Giants job, with whom he was previously a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator, or any other NFL jobs in this cycle. Belichick made the comments in a statement to ESPN's Adam Schefter in which he affirmed his commitment to building the Tar Heels' program.

“I have great respect and genuinely care for the New York Giants organization and both the Mara and Tisch families," Belichick said. "The New York Giants played an important role in my life and in my coaching journey. It was a privilege for me to work for the Mara family and be a member of Coach Parcells’ staff for over a decade. However, despite circulating rumors, I have not and will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies.

“Since arriving in Chapel Hill, my commitment to the UNC Football program has not waivered. We have tremendous support from the university, our alumni, and the entire Carolina community. My focus remains solely on continuing to improve this team, develop our players, and build a program that makes Tar Heel fans proud. We're on to Wake Forest.”

Belichick is only in his first year on the job, but speculation about his future at North Carolina has already been rampant. The six-time Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots coach has had a difficult first foray into college football as the Tar Heels started the year 2-5 with no wins against power conference opponents.

However, UNC's luck has started to turn, and it has won its last two games against Syracuse and Stanford to get to 4-5. To get to a bowl game, it will need to win two of its final three games against Wake Forest, Duke and NC State.

With Belichick apparently removing himself from consideration for NFL jobs, North Carolina will prepare to face the Demon Deacons on the road at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Bill Belichick says he won't pursue NFL jobs this offseason

Reporting by Tyler Nettuno, College Sports Wire / College Sports Wire

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