Bill Belichick has made notable change to offseason approach

Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Belichick turned 70 on Saturday, which was a sobering reminder that most of the future Hall of Famer’s legendary coaching career is behind him. One might think Belichick would start to slow down given his age, but apparently the opposite has happened this offseason.

Albert Breer of The MMQB was told by someone familiar with Belichick that the New England Patriots coach is working even harder this offseason than he has in the past. Some of that work has been done via Zoom in Jupiter, Fla., and Nantucket, Mass., but Breer notes that it shows “there really isn’t any place (Belichick would) rather be.”

Belichick’s sons, Stephen and Brian, are both on his staff with the Patriots. That has been cited as one of the main reasons Belichick has not lost his passion for coaching. While many coaches retire to spend more time with their families, Belichick is able to do that at work.

Belichick is also chasing an important piece of NFL history. He currently has 321 wins in his career, including the playoffs. That places him third behind Don Shula, who has 347, and George Halas, who has 324. Belichick should surpass Halas this season, and Shula is well within reach.

While he said in the past that he did not want to coach into his 70s, Belichick is already there. He is likely motivated to prove he can win without Tom Brady, and he took a step in the right direction last season when the Patriots reached the playoffs with rookie quarterback Mac Jones.

As of now, there is no reason to think the Patriots will be looking for a new head coach anytime soon. Robert Kraft made that fairly clear with the recent goal he laid out for Belichick’s future.