When Bill Belichick became head coach at the University of North Carolinahe said adamantly that he wasn’t going there “to leave”.
However, one of his former players, Rob Gronkowskidisagrees.
Belichick, after disappearing from the NFL sidelines for the first time in nearly 50 years, agreed last month to become the next head coach at UNC, saying it was a dream come true to play in college come.
However, Belichick has clearly found his success in the National Football League, and Gronk believes Belichick still has his sights set on returning home.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski celebrates his 16-yard touchdown reception with head coach Bill Belichick during the AFC divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Foxborough, Massachusetts, January 16, 2016. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
When asked during a recent interview with Fox News Digital if he believed Belichick would retire as a Tar Heel, he said he didn’t think so.
“I think if Bill is successful, he will eventually turn that program over to his son, whose son is just developing into a future head coach,” Gronkowski said. “I love his son, and he’s doing a great job in the college defensive ranks… So I believe Coach Belichick will have good success at UNC, but I believe his heart really belongs in the NFL ranks, and he’ll eventually go back to the NFL if it’s three or four years from now, but I think he’ll end his career as a head coach for an NFL team.
Belichick coached the New England Patriots for 24 seasons, winning six Super Bowls during his tenure – three of which came with Gronkowski as his star tight end. After the 2023 season, the coach and team mutually agreed to part ways.
Without Belichick, the Pats had one of their worst seasons in recent memory, going 4-13, though Drake Maye gave fans something to be excited about. Going into Sunday they had the first overall pick, but with their win they now opt for fourth place. Gronkowski, who recently teamed up with Bounty, says the paper towel brand may be just enough to clean up the current mess in Foxboro.
“I’m about a few minutes away now. If I just walk over and get my Bounty paper towel, it’s a mess in there now, and I just use the Bounty paper towels with a couple of wipes, man, I’ll probably become a head coach after that,” he joked.
Gronkowski joined fellow future Hall of Famer Drew Brees as his Bounty Wingman ahead of the playoffs because, as the Buffalo native Gronk says, “You can’t have football without wings, and you can’t have wings without Bounty.”
New England Patriots take on Rob Gronkowski and head coach Bill Belichick before their game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on September 22, 2016. (Winslow Townson-USA Today Sports)
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“That’s why I’m the full package here. I’m all three: I love football, I love wings, and I love Bounty. And Drew Brees and I are going to New Orleans, we’re going to dominate the city and we’re going to do our cleaning up messes with the Bounty paper towels,” Gronk, who has surprisingly never been to the city, said of working with the Saints legend.
When they moved on from Belichick, the Patriots went with Jerod Mayo, a selection handpicked by Belichick himself years ago. But he was cut after just one season and Gronk was not satisfied.
“I was surprised when I heard that Jerod was fired. I mean, I felt like it was quite unfair to him because he was taking over a team that was going to take some time to build and develop to get back on track.” winning way back,” he said. “I mean, the roster was depleted, Jerod was a rookie head coach and I felt like he needed another year to really judge him based on how he would develop and grow after that first season. But obviously, just after the first season, it was clear that (Robert) Kraft felt like he just wasn’t the man to build a culture that would return to his winning ways. Therefore, Kraft just didn’t waste any time and let he releases Jerod’s duties.
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo speaks to the media, Oct. 18, 2024, in Harrow, England. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
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“Now I feel like Kraft will do everything he can in the process of hiring a new head coach who he thinks will turn this program around and get them back to the playoffs as quickly as possible. It’s quite an ugly situation, but I feel for both sides. You have to win, but I also feel like it wasn’t enough time to evaluate Jerod Mayo.
The overwhelming speculation is that Mike Vrabel will man the Pats – he played for New England and became the coach of the Tennessee Titans after his playing days were over.
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