Bill Belichick was 2023’s hottest topic. The Patriots suffering this season with the coach, who guided them for years, was the talk of the town. So, when he parted ways with the Patriots, it became a hotspot for teams to secure some of the expert staff members from the Patriots. Well, Boston University grabbed the opportunity to set their sight on the Patriots director of football/head coach administration, who has worked extensively with Bill Belichick for the last 24 years. Safe to say, all the experience and learnings would come in handy to Boston University.
The man who was at Bill Belichick’s side during all his years in New England stays in Boston: https://t.co/5P0120W041
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 22, 2024
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The news was first revealed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who mentioned, “Sources: Boston College is expected to hire Berj Najarian as the chief of staff for the football program.” Retorts started coming in as analysts like Adam Schefter commented, “The man who was at Bill Belichick’s side during all his years in New England stays in Boston.” For now, an official announcement is awaited by Bill O’Brien.
Thamel also reported that Najarian has previously worked with Boston head coach Bill O’Brien at the New England Patriots. The two have worked together during the six Super Bowl-winning era of the Patriots under Bill Belichick’s guidance. Thamel also said that “O’Brien once described Najarian to the New York Times as ‘the consigliere of the New England Patriots.'”
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Now that Najarian joins Bill O’Brien at Boston, it will be a question of whether he would be an equally beneficial consigliere to Boston. O’Brien used his contacts from the Patriots quite wisely as it was until last season that Bill O’Brien served as the offensive coordinator for the Patriots, after completing five years as an assistant from 2007. Both O’Brian and Najarian were close with Belichick, however, the latter has maintained an enigmatic presence throughout the years. What was known about him was him being the ‘right-hand man’ for Belichick in terms of administration tasks.
Najarian’s shift indicates the conclusion of Bill Belichick’s coaching career?
A 2012 New York Times article noted Najarian was one of the chosen few in Belichick’s “inner circle,” adding that his office actually was connected to Belichick’s at Gillette Stadium. So, when Belichick was in the talks of leaving the Patriots, it was expected that Najarian would follow Belichick to his next coaching stint.
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However, Belichick didn’t land a job in 2024 despite the accolades associated with his name. Moreover, one of his trusted Najarian also confirmed his news at BC. Hence, per NBC Sports Boston, it can be taken as a confirmation that Belichick won’t be coaching this season.