For 12 seasons, Steve Belichick worked in some capacity for his father, Bill, with the New England Patriots.
The younger Belichick started as a defensive assistant in 2012, took over as safeties coach in 2016, then defensive backs coach in 2019 and then outside linebackers coach in 2020.
In his last role, Belichick was essentially a co-defensive coordinator working with current Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo. It was Belichick who was calling the plays on game day.
Despite all of the changes this offseason, Steve's brother, Brian, was kept on as safeties coach for the 2024 season under Mayo and new defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington. Still, Steve opted for a new challenge with the Washington Huskies as their defensive coordinator.
“I wasn’t eager to leave (the Patriots) or anything like that,” Belichick said (via. The Athletic). “You just keep your options open. Stuff happens. We all have different reasons for (taking different jobs), but it just felt right.”
It has to be a weird feeling for him, as this will be the first time he's coached football without his father working above him. It must be almost freeing in a way.
However, Belichick says he wasn't looking to build his own legacy elsewhere.
“I’ve never looked at it like that, like I’m living under a shadow,” Belichick said. “I’m always going to be myself. He’s my dad. He plays an enormous role in my life — in my profession, in everything I do in life as a father, as a husband, all that stuff. I’ve never really seen it like that. I’m not like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to live in his shadow anymore.’ I’ve never thought of it like that, whether it was now or a year ago or five years ago. That hasn’t really crossed my mind.”
While Bill may have left a somewhat sour taste in fans' mouths after an ugly 2023 season, Steve called a defense that looked pretty good throughout his final year with the team despite missing some of their best players. He'll have plenty of Patriots fans supporting him at Washington.
