When Bill Belichick took over as head coach at the University of North Carolina, he was adamant that he didn't go there “to quit.”
But one of his former players, Rob Gronkowski, disagrees.
Belichick, who was away from the NFL for the first time in nearly 50 years, agreed to become UNC's next head coach last month and said joining the university was a dream come true.
But Belichick has clearly had 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 celebrates a 16-yard touchdown reception with head coach Bill Belichick during an AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs on January 16, 2016 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.・Gronkowski. (Matthew J. Lee/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
In a recent interview with FOX News Digital, when asked if he thought Belichick would retire as a Tar Heel, he said he didn't think so.
“If Bill is successful, I think he will eventually pass the program on to his son, who is just developing into a future head coach,” Gronkowski said. “I love my son and he's doing a great job in the college defensive ranks…so I believe Coach Belichick will have some success at UNC, but his heart really belongs in the NFL ranks.” I believe he will eventually retire.''I think he will return to the NFL within three or four years, but I think he will finish his career as a head coach of an NFL team.''
Belichick coached the New England Patriots for 24 seasons, winning six Super Bowls during his tenure, three with star tight end Gronkowski. The manager and team have agreed to part ways after the 2023 season.
Without Belichick, the Pats had their worst season in recent memory, going 4-13, even though Drake Maye gave fans something to look forward to. They had the No. 1 overall pick entering Sunday, but a win would give them the No. 4 pick. Gronkowski, who recently partnered with Bounty, says the paper towel brand alone may be enough to clean up Foxboro's current mess.
“I'm a few minutes from here right now. I'm going to walk over a little bit and get some Bounty paper towels and it's dirty right now, so I'm just going to use a couple of Bounty paper towels to wipe them down, hey, I'll do that.” 'I'll probably become a head coach right after that,' he joked.
Gronkowski brought in fellow future Hall of Famer Drew Brees as a bounty wingman ahead of the playoffs. As Buffalo native Gronk says, “You can't play football without wings, and you can't have wings without bounties.”
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and head coach Bill Belichick before a game against the Houston Texans on September 22, 2016 at Gillette Stadium. (Winslow Townson-USA Today Sports)
Titans, No. 1 draft pick, Fire Chief Ran Carson
“That's why I'm perfect here. I'm all three of those things. I love football, I love wings, and I love Bounty. And Drew Brees and I go to New Orleans, I We're going to rule.' When we go to town, we'll clean up the mess with Bounty paper towels,” Gronk, who has surprisingly never been to town, said of his partnership with the Saints legend.
In moving on from Belichick, the Patriots acquired Jerrod Mayo, who Belichick himself handpicked years ago. But Gronk wasn't happy when he was fired after just one season.
“I was surprised to hear that Jerod was fired. I mean, I felt it was unfair in a way to him because he was inheriting a team that was going to take time to build and grow to get back to winning ways.” said. “So the roster is depleted and Jerod is a rookie head coach and we feel like he needs another year before we can really make a decision based on how he develops and develops after his first season.” But obviously, right after the season ended, it was obvious in the first season. [Robert] Kraft felt he wasn't the type of person to get back to winning ways and build a culture. Therefore, Kraft wasted no time and abandoned Jerrod's mission.
New England Patriots head coach Jerrod Mayo speaks to the media in Harrow, England, October 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
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“Right now, I feel like Kraft is all in on the process of hiring a new head coach who I believe can turn this program around and get it back to the playoffs as quickly as possible. It's kind of an ugly situation, but I think both teams I feel like we have to win, but I also feel like we didn't have enough time to evaluate Jerrod Mayo. ”
The overwhelming speculation is that Mike Vrabel will be the Pats' man. He played in New England and became the coach of the Tennessee Titans after his playing days ended.
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