Julian Edelman is placing his bet on one team Bill Belichick will coach next
When the announcement was made that Bill Belichick was leaving the Patriots after nearly a quarter century as the team's head coach, the assumption was that he would continue his career with another team, especially since there were a handful of vacancies during the 2024 offseason.
He said as much when discussing his departure, and the belief was that he would be easily hired by a team hoping to revamp their roster and pursue a deep playoff run, if not a Super Bowl run. Who better than an eight-time Champion to help your team get on that track?
That looked to be the case when Belichick had reportedly become the frontrunner to become the Falcons' next head coach after successful meetings with owner Arthur Blank. But that dissolved unexpectedly and without explanation, and Atlanta eventually hired Raheem Morris instead.
At that time, there weren't other opportunities for Belichick to pursue. Instead, he agreed to various media roles that allowed him to remain involved in the NFL but in a television analyst role. He has since become a fixture on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show and Eli and Peyton Manning's The ManningCast during Monday Night Football.
He is also a co-host of Inside the NFL on the CW and two podcasts, one with Matt Patricia on Underdog Fantasy and replacing Tom Brady on the Let's Go! podcast.
It has brought his coaching career into question, especially since he's just 15 games shy of passing Don Shula's long-standing record of the most wins by a head coach in NFL history. There is a lot of speculation suggesting Belichick will be in the mix for a vacancy next offseason, with a few teams at the forefront of the conversation. And the latest prediction comes from Julian Edelman, who is putting his money on one team in particular.
Julian Edelman believes Bill Belichick will become a former Patriots' rival's head coach in 2025
Throughout this offseason, the former Patriots coach has been connected to a handful of teams with head coaches expected to be in the hot seat next year if their 2024 season falls flat.
Among those speculated is the New York Giants, with former New England coach Brian Daboll potentially under fire for his lack of success since taking over head coaching duties in 2022.
Because of his connections to the team and the projected opening next offseason, Edelman revealed the Giants are his pick for where Belichick will coach next, much to the disappointment of Patriots fans who are still not over those two Super Bowl losses.
“The real enticing one, to me, is if the New York Giants open up. And I am not calling for anyone’s job. I love [Giants head coach Brian] Daboll. Daboll is my favorite. But the fate of what they’ve put on the field… You’re going to go down with that ship.”
Given the other options that have been discussed over the last several months, including the Bills and Eagles, Belichick landing with New York seems the most plausible, besides maybe the Cowboys. However, based on how much he appears to be enjoying his new television career, it will be interesting to see if he decides to continue that instead of getting back into coaching.
It would be a shame to see him not pass Shula's record, but after all that Belichick has accomplished and his newfound passion as an analyst, it might be enough for him to continue what he's doing and not look back.