Steve Belichick has told me more than once that he doesn’t plan to open the doors to a head coaching job until his father Bill Belichick retires from the New England Patriots.
But at what point will Steve start getting head coaching interest?
At what point will he build his resume to the point where teams are pitching themselves to him? Will he get to that point?
Steve, whose title is outside linebackers coach, is calling (at least some of) the New England Patriots’ defensive plays. He gets help from Jerod Mayo, who is the inside linebackers coach. And Bill Belchick seems to have a hand in the play-calling and the pre-game preparation on defense. It’s a group effort with Steve seemingly at the center of it.
That could change in 2022 when the Patriots will be without Josh McDaniels for the first time since 2012. Whether the Patriots add a veteran offensive play-caller (like Bill O’Brien or Chad O’Shea), Belichick is going to help on offense in 2022. Quarterback Mac Jones is too important for Belichick to hand over to O’Brien, O’Shea, newly-rehired Joe Judge, tight ends coach Nick Caley or whoever else can contribute. Belichick is likely going to be the quarterbacks’ coach in 2022, even if someone else has the label.
So that means Steve is likely to see more responsibilities on defense. He probably won’t get the defensive coordinator title — because that’s just how Belichick runs his operation, delaying a “coordinator” label until the last possible moment. It’s an effort, in my opinion, to avoid the coaching brain drain that seems to happen every year. By not calling his coaches “coordinators,” Belichick hopes to stave off their departure. But frankly, it doesn’t work. They lose important staffers every year because they’re successful every year. Everyone around the NFL understands labels don’t matter in New England. But that’s all the more reason why Steve is likely to get some interest in head coaching job in the coming years — and maybe even next year.
If Bill is running the offense (or at least helping run the offense) and Steve is running the defense, then we’ll see, more than ever, what the younger Belichick can accomplish. And we could see him start to form a reputation of his own. If he continues to make a good impression, his star will rise.
Maybe Steve will reject every interview request he gets. Maybe Steve will genuinely put head coaching interest out of mind until Bill retires. But maybe Bill will retire soon. And maybe Steve has a huge year running New England’s defense in 2022. Talent within the Patriots’ coaching ranks doesn’t stay a secret for long. Steve’s reputation will only continue to grow.
