Analyst Reveals Grim Reality for Patriots, Bill Belichick
New England Patriots legend Bill Belichick may very well be closing in on the North Carolina Tar Heels head-coaching job, which is certainly strange.
Belichick jumping to the collegiate ranks? And to North Carolina, of all teams?
It's almost like a swift reality check for Belichick, who parted ways with the Patriots after 2023 and has been unable to land an NFL job ever since.
If Belichick does, in fact, take the North Carolina position, it could possibly spell an end to his chances of returning to the pros, and Ted Nguyen of The Athletic has revealed a rather somber take on the whole situation.
"If Belichick does go to college, it would officially be the end of the Patriot Way in the NFL," Nguyen posted on X. "His disciples all failed in the league, [Jerod] Mayo went in a different direction, and the interest in BB in the NFL doesn't seem to be there."
It's definitely true that the Belichick coaching tree hasn't found much success on the NFL level, which is why some still give the overall edge to Bill Parcells when it comes to determining the best coach in league history.
The NFL landscape changed under Belichick's feet during his final few years in New England, and losing Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a bucket of ice water, too.
The Pats failed to make the playoffs in three of Belichick's last four years at the helm, including a miserable 4-13 campaign in 2023.
Things haven't gotten much better in Foxborough since Belichick's departure, either, as Mayo—who served under Belichick as a linebackers coach—has gone just 3-10 in his debut season, and some are already calling for his job, too.
It really could be the end of an era for Belichick and "The Patriot Way."