Brian Belichick explains why he stayed with Patriots without Bill

Legendary head coach Bill Belichick and his son, Steve Belichick, parted ways with the New England Patriots this offseason.

New England safeties coach Brian Belichick, also Bill's son, spoke with reporters on Wednesday about his decision to remain with the organization and work with first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.

"I was thankful and happy to get the opportunity to coach here and was thankful and happy to take advantage of it and take [Mayo] up on it," Brian Belichick explained, per Mark Daniels of MassLive. "I have a lot of gratitude in my life right now with my daughter, my job, being here, living in this area. I love it. I just hope I can contribute to help us be the best team we can this year."

Patriots owner Robert Kraft showed Bill Belichick the door in January after New England missed the playoffs for a third time in four seasons. Steve Belichick was later hired as defensive coordinator with the Washington Huskies.

As for Brian Belichick, he first joined the Patriots as a scouting assistant in 2016 before he was named a coaching assistant the following year. While entering his fifth campaign as safeties coach, Mayo was added to Bill Belichick's staff as inside linebackers coach in 2019.

Earlier this month, Mayo praised Brian Belichick for being a "true professional" and "a great coach" who is dealing with what could be an awkward situation for any son. Meanwhile, Brian noted on Wednesday that no longer working for his famous father has its benefits.

"This is getting a little personal about our family dynamics, but in a way, I think it was good for us to have some separation from being in a football building every day, seeing each other," Brian Belichick said. "Whereas now, we’re not just connected by football. Not that it was that way before, but we talk about other things because we’re in different places and not the same place every day. There’s a lot to talk about football-wise, so it was hard not to get caught up with that when you saw each other at work every day."

Brian Belichick, Mayo and others within the Patriots likely look forward to no longer having to discuss associations with Bill Belichick as New England prepares for what could be a rough first season of a new era for the franchise. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Patriots' over/under win total for the 2024 campaign at 4.5.