Steve Belichick jokes about father Bill Belichick facing unemployment in 2024: “I got a job and he doesn’t”

Steve Belichick signed in as the defensive coordinator for Washington with a quip about his father Bill Belichick. The younger Belichick has spent all his life under his father's shadow. From 2012 onwards, Belichick Jr. has occupied posts as part of the defensive staff for the New England team.

But Steve Belichick's tenure there ended as his father Bill Belichick was dismissed this offseason after a poor run last year that left them as the third-worst team in the league. With performances deteriorating since Tom Brady left the Patriots, owner Robert Kraft decided a change was necessary.

Initially, rumors abounded about where the legendary coach would go next, with the Atlanta Falcons being mentioned often as a potential destination. But the league, as a whole, chose to go with younger minds, and that left Bill Belichick out of work. While he was struggling, his son did find work outside the NFL as the defensive coordinator for the University of Washington.

And so when Steve Belichick was inevitably asked about his father, he said that despite the similarities between them, one area of difference was that he was employed and his dad was not. Eliciting chuckles from those around him, he said,

“I got a job and he doesn’t.”

Is there a chance of Bill Belichick and Steve Belichick reuniting in the NFL again?

While Steve Belichick begins his college career, it is unlikely that his father will follow him there. With a legendary coaching career in the NFL, he would probably see it as a step-down. A similar situation might apply to defensive coordinator vacancies that arise in the NFL in the future. No coach would want to have his shadow looming over him.

But Bill Belichick might find himself in demand as some of the current coaches struggle. This season his stock is low because people remember how bad his last season went. However, when inevitably some team struggles and is looking for a new coach, they will remember that his defense was still towards the top of the league even as their offense was floundering.

That might precipitate a situation where Bill Belichick is more in demand next season than he is now. If he does get a job, though, one never knows if Steve Belichick will follow him. This is the first time he has a job where he is not working with his father and he may want to carve out his own career.