New England Patriots outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick, the son of six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick, has reportedly accepted the defensive coordinator position at the University of Washington, ESPN's Field Yates reported on Monday (February 5).
Steve, 36, spent the past 12 seasons working under his father, who had coached the Patriots for 24 seasons before the team announced its plans to move on last month, eventually promoting inside linebackers coach and former middle linebacker Jerod Mayo as his successor.
"Patriots OLB coach Steve Belichick has now accepted the position to become the University of Washington’s defensive coordinator," Yates wrote on his X account. "After 12 seasons coaching in the NFL with the Patriots, he heads to the college ranks in a coordinator capacity. Belichick called defensive plays for the last 5 seasons, including 2019 when New England allowed the fewest points and yards in the league."
Steve initially joined his father's staff as a defensive assistant in 2012 before being promoted to safeties coach in 2016, adding the role of secondary coach in 2019 and once again promoted to outside linebackers coach in 2020. The New Jersey native was a member of the Patriots' last three Super Bowl teams.
Belichick's other son, Brian, had also worked for the Patriots since 2016, initially as a scouting assistant before transitioning to coaching assistant in 2017 and taking over his brother's prior safeties coach duties in 2020.
Steve will join the staff of Washington head coach Jedd Fisch, who replaced Kalen DeBoer last month after DeBoer accepted the head coaching position at Alabama following Nick Saban's sudden retirement. Fisch went 16-21 *11-16 Pac-12) during three seasons at Arizona.
Bill Belichick ranks first third in NFL history with 301 wins, having won 36 games during his first head coaching tenure with the Cleveland Browns from 1991-95. The Patriots have, however, struggled in recent years, making only one postseason appearance since the departure of longtime franchise quarterback Tom Brady in 2020.
New England had previously won the AFC East during all but two seasons during Brady's 20-year tenure, which included the 2008 season in which he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1.
Belichick is one of seven NFL head coaches to have spent more than 20 years with one franchise following George Halas (40) of the Chicago Bears, Curly Lambeau (29) of the Green Bay Packers, Tom Landry (29) of the Dallas Cowboys, Don Shula (26) of the Miami Dolphins, Steven Owen (24) of the New York Giants and Chuck Noll of the Pittsburgh Steelers, all of whom have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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