Former Patriots running back James White shares his thoughts on whether or not Bill Belichick can still relate to younger players in today’s NFL.
Julian Edelman was drafted by former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and played under him for 12 seasons. The retired wide receiver won three Super Bowl titles during that span, including a Super Bowl LIII MVP award in 2018.
Edelman knows as much as anyone what it's like playing for Belichick and how much value he brings to an organization.
So it's not surprising that Edelman has strong feelings about Belichick not getting another head coach job this cycle after parting ways with the Patriots in early January.
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There were eight head coach vacancies over the past month and Belichick didn't land with any of those teams. Belichick interviewed twice with the Atlanta Falcons and spoke to the Washington Commanders, per reports, but both franchises decided to go in a different direction.
What does Edelman think of Belichick not getting a head coach job?
"It just tells me not everyone is really about winning in this league, if you're not going to hire Bill Belichick," Edelman told Trey Wingo on the Chasin' It show. "... It's crazy. Yeah, he's tough. Yeah, he's a force to work with. But any team that brings him in instantly gets like 35 percent better just off the rip because of the amount of knowledge he knows, the amount of experience that he has.
"He has seen everything through the game. Yes, he has struggled the last couple years, but this is a quarterback league. You gotta find a quarterback regardless of where you are, and he wasn't able to do that. ... It just tells me that not every organization is trying to win."
Unless another job opens up, Belichick might have to take a year off and re-assess the coaching landscape in early 2025. Belichick could always do TV in the meantime, which he would be great at.
But Edelman is right. It's crazy that zero teams hired Belichick this cycle. He's the greatest head coach in NFL history with a record six Super Bowl titles. He would be an upgrade at head coach for just about every team.
