New England Patriots Rumors: Will Bill Belichick be running the offense?

The New England Patriots have already had a busy offseason despite it not even really getting underway yet. And with free agency just around the corner, it’s about to get a whole lot busier.

While the players on the roster are extremely important, the coaching staff is right up there too, and right now the Patriots coaching staff is looking a little depleted. Josh McDaniels finally made the jump back into the head coaching ring, taking the Las Vegas Raiders vacancy a little over a month ago. He also brought three former Patriots assistants with him too, all coming on the offensive side of the ball, further depleting the teams ranks.

Yet up to this point, head coach/general manager Bill Belichick has done next to nothing in terms of filling those voids. Former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge has been the only coach added to the staff, leaving everything up in the air for the time being.

It can be assumed that the assistant level roles will be filled with internal candidates, but McDaniels vacancy at offensive coordinator still looms large. There have been rumblings that a guy like Bill O’Brien could be the replacement, but nothing has materialized yet. And maybe that is because nobody else will be brought on board, and Belichick will end up calling the shots on offense for the 2022 season.

The New England Patriots offense may be run by Bill Belichick next season

With the radio silence surrounding the Patriots potential replacement for McDaniels recently, many have begun to speculate that the man replacing McDaniels may be Belichick himself. Those rumors have been flying around the NFL Combine, where many other staffers are surprised that Belichick hasn’t hired anyone else yet, leaving them to think he’s appointing himself the new playcaller on offense.

This could have some huge repurcussions for the Patriots next season if it ends up being true. Much of the emphasis this offseason has been centered around making soon-to-be second year quarterback Mac Jones‘ life easier. Employing Belichick as his go-to-guy on offense could be a risky move, but it could end up paying off in a huge way.

The first reason this is risky is because this probably wouldn’t be a permanent role for Belichick. He would probably take on this job for a season or two before handing things off to someone else. This is problematic because it would be Jones’ third different playcaller in either three or four seasons. Continuity is key for a young quarterback, and this path ensures that does not exist for Jones.

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Belichick is also well known as more of a defensive minded coach than an offensive one. Every coach has made a name for themselves at one point or another on either the offensive of defensive side of the ball; it’s how they ended up with a head coaching role in the first place. In Belichick’s case, he rose up the ranks on the defensive side of the ball, and he’s remained heavily involved recently on that unit for the New England Patriots.

That’s not to say Belichick has no experience with the offense, because he obviously does, but he doesn’t have experience calling plays on offense or fulfilling offensive coordinator duties. Would giving himself the reigns of the offense be good for not just the 2022 team, but more importantly, the future of Jones?

While Belichick clearly has more experience on the defensive side of things, it may not be the worst idea to give him more control of the offense. After all, he played an instrumental role in the development of Tom Brady, and last I checked he had a pretty good career. I am in no way suggesting this move will make Jones magically turn into Brady, but Belichick knows what it takes to succeed in this league.

Belichick also would be in a position where he could hand off certain duties if he felt the need to throughout the season. Judge and Matt Patricia both have head coaching experience, and even though they weren’t particularly successful head coaches, that experience cannot be overtstated. Belichick clearly trusts these guys, and that gives him the freedon to navigate the season as he sees fit.

I’d be surprised if New England doesn’t add another coach or two at some point down the line, but it appears the Belichick playcalling rumors have some credibility to them. Belichick is a football genius, and he may ultimately decide it’s up to himself to develop Jones on his own. It may not be the most conventional move, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it work out brilliantly for the New England Patriots.