Sooner or later New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is going to coach his last NFL game. But with the way things are trending, that could realistically be sooner than Belichick has in mind.
Patriots owner Bob Kraft is believed to be frustrated by the team’s recent struggles and overall struggles since Tom Brady left in 2020. If things go from bad to worse, it’s not out of the question that Kraft fires him if he feels that things can get better with new blood.
So who are the options?
In his 30 years as owner of the Patriots, Kraft has only had to hire three head coaches – Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick – all of whom were retreads on their second NFL head coaching gig.
Kraft could very well go that route again but the number of quality retread coaches is likely to be small. He may go the route of finding a top offensive coordinator and go with the trend the rest of the league is going, or find another coach worthy of a second coaching chance.
Here are three coaches that we think Belichick could hire to replace Belichick:
1. Ben Johnson (Detroit Lions OC)
The Lions look unrecognizable now from what they were just a few years ago and the rise of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is a big reason why.
While Dan Campbell has been the fire and the culture in Detroit, Johnson has been the brain and that brain has figured out how to turn Jared Goff from a quarterback that nobody wanted into one who could just lead Detroit to their first division title in decades.
With the NFL trending towards offense, Johnson is looking like one of the hottest names in coaching right about now.
2. Bill O’Brien (New England Patriots OC, former Houston Texas head coach)
It’s been decades since the Patriots hired a head coach internally but Bill O’Brien does have a decent record both with the team and as a head coach.
O’Brien went 52-48 as head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020, leading the Texans to the playoffs four times. While his final couple of years in Houston were marred by internal conflict with the team, he could be ready for a new leadership role.
3. Brian Flores (Minnesota Vikings DC, former Miami Dolphins head coach)
Speaking of retread coaches who might be ready for another chance, Brian Flores is another coach from the Bill Belichick tree who could be ready for a second chance. While he may not have been a good fit for the Miami Dolphins, he still went a respectable 24-25.
As a defensive coach, he clearly knows his stuff and the Steelers and Vikings have both gotten at least a little better on defense when he’s been around them.
Honorable Mention: Jeff Ulbrich (New York Jets defensive coordinator)
Wouldn’t it be something if Robert Kraft does the exact same thing he did 20-plus years ago and poaches the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets?
Ulbrich is a rising star in the coaching ranks who helped turn the Jets defense from an historically bad unit in 2021 to a top five group in 2022. What he did with cornerback Sauce Gardner in the 2022 season was downright historic and the Patriots love having elite defensive backs.
He’s probably not going to be a candidate for many jobs depending on how this season plays out for the Jets, but the Patriots hiring him after Belichick would be downright wild.