Bill Belichick may break his own rule and poach coaches from Patriots staff
Throughout Bill Belichick's tenure in New England, plenty of coaches on his staff would go on to become head coaches themselves or take promotions with other teams. One of the most prominent unwritten rules Belichick had, however, was that whoever left did not poach the Patriots staff to go with him.
For the most part, those departing stood by that rule and didn't drain the sidelines, besides Josh McDaniels when he left the team for the Broncos and Raiders, which was always a benefit for keeping continuity for the Belichick administration throughout the two decades he oversaw the team.
That might be changing soon, though, as one of his sons, Brian, remains with the Patriots staff for this season. He is currently the safeties coach, a role he took on in 2020, and now that the University of North Carolina has hired his father, it wouldn't be shocking to see him follow him there.
Bill Belichick should limit his poaching from the Patriots' staff to just his son, Brian
Because his brother and former Patriots defensive coordinator Stephen is also seemingly on his way to Chapel Hill, there's even more reason for Brian to move on. He didn't seem to shut down the idea while speaking to reporters on Thursday morning amidst repeating a typical Belichick-ian answer to a question he didn't want to respond to.
Brian Belichick on if he’ll consider leaving the #Patriots to coach with his dad at UNC:
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) December 12, 2024
“I personally have my hands full today, getting ready for today on the field… we have our hands full here and so that’s where my focus is — going to Arizona and getting a win.”
That would be a big no-no according to the unwritten rule by Bill, but it seems more likely than not that Brian will be a coach on the UNC sideline next year.
At this point, the likelihood of moving onto Belichick's staff seems limited to just Brian. Most of those rumored to be joining him at UNC are former Patriots staffers like McDaniels and Matt Patricia, with Michael Lombardi already signing on as the general manager.
That is a massive plus for the new regime in Foxboro, who don't need to deal with any more sudden coaching changes heading into the 2025 offseason, even if some are projected to change based on a poor season. Hopefully, it will be just Brian and not more hoping to reunite with their former longtime coach.
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