Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has made clear that he has no desire at the moment to coach in the NFL in any capacity. When asked by Colin Cowherd on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” about the possibility of becoming a coach should Bill Belichick return to coaching, Edelman dismissed the thought, citing long work days and a stressful schedule.
"I don't love coaching. You've got to love coaching to coach under Bill."@Edelman11 on if he'd be interested in joining Belichick in potential return pic.twitter.com/CzsA2PNSCO
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 21, 2024
While it was clearly not meant to insinuate Belichick would be bad to work under, it did offer a glimpse into the working conditions and pressures NFL coaches have during the season.
What Has Bill Belichick Done Since His Departure From New England?
After mutually agreeing to part ways after the completion of the 2023-24 NFL season, Bill Belichick has found success in an analyst role with various companies. According to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, Belichick is currently employed by seven different media platforms for the current season.
Belichick is on 7 different media platforms this season. If he's going to critique the Patriots–there were doubts he would–there will be an audience. https://t.co/4BFTtaJAOD
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) October 24, 2024
So far, the six-time Super Bowl champion coach has made headlines on various occasions for both his newly discovered humor as well as the occasional intriguing comment about his former Patriots. Earlier in the season, Belichick rebuked a statement made by current Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, where the latter called out the Pats for being soft.
As a result, despite being in a different role, Belichick has still done a strong job of remaining visible this season.
Will Belichick Return to the NFL?
At the age of 72 years old, it remains to be seen whether Belichick will return to the NFL in some capacity in the future. While Belichick’s passion for the sport is clearly unwavering, there is the stark reality that the NFL may have moved past Belichick for at least the time being.
This past offseason, there were eight vacant head coaching positions, none of which were offered to Belichick. Although Belichick has the opportunity to go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time, the NFL seems to be heading into an era of young coaches with modern mindsets of the game.
Two of the recently hired coaches, namely Mayo and Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, epitomize this shift as they are both two of the five youngest coaches in the NFL and under the age of 40.
PFN recently put together a list of the top coaching candidates in the 2025 NFL cycle. Belichick finished second behind just Detroit Lions phenom Ben Johnson.
“Belichick’s best bet may be targeting a franchise with a competitive roster, stable ownership, and an experienced general manager already in place. It’s not difficult to identify potential 2025 Belichick landing spots. Franchises that have everything riding on this season — like the Cowboys — might be interested if they keep floundering in 2024.”
However, should Belichick return to the NFL as a head coach one day, it sounds as though Edelman, his former player and Super Bowl 53 MVP, will not be joining his staff in any capacity.