Bill O’Brien’s final days with the Patriots didn’t pan out well, and there might have been more drama going on behind the scenes.
O’Brien returned to New England in 2023 to become the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The season was plagued by disappointment, and the 55-year-old moved on to become Boston College head coach after Jerod Mayo became Bill Belichick’s successor.
The former offensive coordinator’s new position came quickly, and O’Brien earned a job quicker than Belichick. One could imagine O’Brien trying to stick it out with Belichick, but the pair might not be on friendly terms.
The Guardian’s Oliver Connolly, who first reported that Belichick interviewed with North Carolina, offered insight on the former Patriots head coach’s decision to join the college ranks. The end of his column revealed a fascinating detail about the end of the 2023 season.
“At the end in New England, he (Belichick) took out his frustration with the Kraft family on loyal coaches,” Connolly wrote Thursday. “Jerod Mayo and Bill O’Brien were drafted in by the Krafts to wrestle some control away from their all-powerful football monarch. O’Brien was a Belichick guy. But for two weeks during his final season in New England, Belichick did not speak to his offensive coordinator. After being pushed on Belichick in the offseason, O’Brien was now viewed as a Kraft guy.”
It’s an interesting viewpoint, especially given how much flak Mayo received this season for Robert Kraft’s mistakes. Fans would have been hesitant to label O’Brien as a Kraft loyalist, but Connolly’s note added intrigue to the continuing soft-power rivalry between Kraft and Belichick.
Boston College isn’t on North Carolina’s schedule in 2025, so Patriots fans won’t get to see O’Brien and Belichick face each other. But the dynamics of Belichick as Tar Heels head coach continue to fascinate fans.
