After adding another disappointing season to the record books in 2023, the Patriots had a lot to figure out in the offseason to get them back on track. That led owner Robert Kraft to make the seemingly tough decision to move on from Bill Belichick as the team's head coach after two decades, putting the Patriots even further back in the rebuilding process.
Kraft's decision received mixed reactions, with most believing it was the right thing to do given how poorly Belichick had coached the team since Tom Brady abruptly left in 2020. Besides making the playoffs a year later, they consistently lost more games than they won, and poor roster building worsened the situation.
Things took a wild turn when almost immediately, the franchise announced that Jerod Mayo would be taking over in Belichick's place, and the following season went just as many predicted: badly. That made many question whether it may have been better to keep Belichick for at least one more year, even if the team was only marginally better.
However, considering the amount of drama Belichick has found himself in since agreeing to become the next head coach at the University of North Carolina, it looks like the Patriots made the right decision to move on when they did, not only because they lucked into hiring Mike Vrabel but also because they are able to keep the negative publicity at bay.
Making the situation even worse is the latest suggestion that Belichick might not even make it to Week 1 of the regular season for UNC because of the ongoing chaos.
It only took one year for the Patriots to prove Bill Belichick’s critics were right
Throughout the dynasty era, New England was no stranger to controversy, and the NFL punished them because of it. Regardless of whether they arguably abused their power in an attempt to derail the Patriots, Belichick was consistently at the forefront of the drama, and that hasn't changed since leaving Foxboro.
Instead of revolving around football, his latest issue concerns the involvement of his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, in nearly every aspect of his life. It has prompted countless headlines to the point that UNC is potentially nearing a point of deciding to fire Belichick before the 2025 season begins, at least according to analyst Pablo Torre.
Do you think Bill Belichick makes it to Week 1 with UNC after the recent reporting about his relationship with Jordon Hudson?
— The Domonique Foxworth Show (@FoxworthShow) May 12, 2025
"I think there's an absolutely real chance that he doesn't." – @PabloTorre 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/tzRhlklOeS
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This would be catastrophic for not only the university but for Belichick, too. The fact that he was unable to secure another job in the NFL remains a talking point, so if he allows his personal life to interfere so much in his career that UNC fires him, there's not much more damage that can be done to his football legacy.
It would also be a terrible situation for the UNC football team to deal with, as they put a lot of effort and money into bringing in a legendary head coach to turn their team around and make them a consistently successful entity. Belichick's choice could hinder that from ever happening, putting them in an even more dire situation than before they hired him.
Because of all this, it looks like Kraft helped his team avoid a franchise-altering drama that might have been near the top of the list of their biggest controversies over the years. It would have put him in an awkward situation regarding Belichick's future with the team, similar to the rumored circumstances UNC might be weighing.
Instead, they're on the outside looking in and can be thankful they don't have another Belichick problem to deal with. Fortunately, they have the beginning of the Mike Vrabel era to look forward to, and it's so far, so good.