Bill Belichick Says NFL Wins Record Didn't Factor Into UNC Decision

Bill Belichick is only 15 wins away from passing Don Shula for the most head coaching wins in NFL history ... but he claims that wasn't on his mind before he took his new gig with North Carolina -- 'cause what he really cares about is championships.

Days after his introductory press conference in Chapel Hill, Bill gave an update on his first few days on the job during his appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show" ... saying he's been busy recruiting high school players and working the transfer portal as he starts to build out his roster.

The 72-year-old was then asked about seemingly giving up on being the winningest coach in NFL history as a result of his move to the NCAA ... but he's making it clear there's something that holds much more weight in his eyes.

"It's not about the wins to me it's about championships," he said on Monday. "That's what I wanna do. I wanna win championships. The wins are great, and you gotta win games to win championships, I get that. To me, it's about championships."

"I am proud of the games that we won and the teams that won those. But I'm proud of the championships I was a member of and contributed to. Teams win championships, and I'm proud to be an eight-time Super Bowl champion."

While there's a chance Belichick could jump back to the NFL someday, he told reporters last week he had no plans on jumping ship anytime soon.