Brian Belichick explains decision to stay with Patriots despite departure of both Bill Belichick and brother

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – In an offseason filled with change for the New England Patriots, there is still a Belichick lurking on the practice field. Brian Belichick, Bill Belichick’s youngest son, remains on the coaching staff as the team’s safeties coach under Jerod Mayo.

Of course, the last few months at 1 Patriot Place have been marked by the separation from his father, along with his brother, former outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick, who also left after accepting the defensive coordinator position at the University of Washington. Meanwhile, Brian, who has been on the coaching staff since 2017, decided to stay.

“I really enjoy coaching here, living here, working with our players every day,” Belichick said in his first public comments since the team separated from his father. “I have the opportunity to coach a position in the National Football League. I mean, how much more can you ask for than that?”

One might imagine this is a somewhat strange circumstance given the way Bill’s historic tenure came to an end, but Brian, who welcomed a baby girl during this transition, appears to be embracing the familiarity and opportunity. which still exists in New England. . He also received a glowing review from his new boss, who recognized the unique dynamic in which he operates.

“He’s been fantastic, he’s been fantastic,” Mayo said of Brian. “There are other guys in the organization that have been a little strange to him, and those guys have handled it the right way. Look, Brian loves football and he loves New England. : a guy, new baby, loves being here and wants to stay. We’re happy he’s here.

When asked about his decision to remain on the Patriots coaching staff, Brian was asked if he had talked to his father about the opportunity, to which he responded by saying that he had “talked to a lot of people in my family over the course of, however, a lot of time was .”

“I think in some ways, and this is getting a little personal about our family dynamic, but in some ways, I think it was good for us to have some separation from being in a football building every day seeing each other. we’re not just connected by football,” Belichick said of his relationship with his father. “Not that it was like that before, but, you know, we talk about other things because we’re in different places, not the same place every day. There’s a lot to talk about about football, so it was difficult not to get carried away by that when you saw each other at work every day.”

While he may not be working with his father, the legacy and standard that Bill Belichick set throughout his tenure still looms large over Brian and the franchise as a whole.

“I think we have a very well-coached team,” Belichick said. “I think it starts with Jerod and we’re all following his lead and so we’re all trying to live up to a very high expectation that’s obviously been built here over the years and my dad was the head coach. he’s trying to live up to it every day.”

While his brother Steve, who was present during Wednesday’s session as an observer, is still in the coaching ranks, Bill Belichick has become a media personality as he has covered the NFL Draft and is slated to work with ManningCast during the alternative broadcast of “Monday Night Football.”

When asked about a scouting report on his father’s media career, Brian said, “Again, I’ll let you guys comment on that, but I thought it was fun.”