For the first time since the turn of the century, the New England Patriots will be run by a head coach not named Bill Belichick.
Just as it did when Tom Brady left New England, it will certainly take some time to get used to. But, at least when the quarterback departed, he found a new team that could use his services. With Belichick moving on from the Patriots, he hasn’t found another coaching opportunity, and if he does wish to continue in the field, he’ll have to wait until 2025.
The fact that Belichick isn’t coaching in 2024 still has those who cover the league absolutely perplexed. In fact, both Connor Orr and Albert Breet of Sports Illustrated picked Belichick not being hired as the worst decision of the offseason.
Here’s what Orr wrote:
“The greatest head coach in NFL history is going to be doing Q1 on the Manningcast, which feels like Lin Manuel-Miranda doing community theater (no offense to Peyton and Eli). Belichick not working is proof that owners do not consult the people they should be consulting when making the most critical decision of the offseason: opposing coaches, players, scouts and people who know football that do not have a political interest in their own employment.
Belichick can absolutely cook as a defensive coordinator and an owner with some foresight would have paired him with a young offensive coordinator and watched their organization coast into the playoffs. I don’t know if Belichick will get another job in the NFL, but I do know that he hasn’t lost his fastball. Someone will eventually figure that out.”
Breer added to that, but also through in teams not hiring Mike Vrabel.
“I’ll piggy-back on Conor here—it’s ridiculous that there were eight job openings, and Vrabel and Belichick were still standing when the music stopped. My suspicion? Dumb, backwards reasoning.
Both guys run detailed, demanding programs. Neither guy is going to give some dude in corporate warm feelings as a co-worker. Which, more and more, I think is a problem for NFL owners. They want people to like to come to the office. They want to be able to play with the toy they bought themselves. They want to get some validation of their own genius from the guys they hire.
Coaches such as Vrabel and Belichick won’t prioritize those things. But if you ask their assistants or their players about them, they’ll explain how those guys make everyone in a team’s football operation better. Unfortunately, in some organizations, that’s not the top priority anymore.”
After Belichick sits out this year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get back into the profession, but it’s far from a guarantee.