“It wouldn’t feel right” if Bill Belichick were coaching Jets

Twenty-four years later, former Patriots star Julian Edelman briefly wondered if Belichick would become the Jets' head coach for a third time.

“The Jets have a really good defense and (Belichick and Mike Vrabel) are two really defensive-minded head coaches,” Edelman said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “I'm telling you, Bill, when you listen to him talk about (CJ) Mosley and the entire Jets defensive front, he likes it – he loves this team.”

Belichick has given notable praise to several Jets players in the past. He noted how Mosley explained what plays the Patriots were running on offense after a game against the Jets in 2022.

Belichick also frequently praised Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. After the Packers' victory over the Patriots in 2022, Belichick praised Rodgers for his game-changing plays, calling him a “great, great player.” Rodgers has also had his admiration for the head coach in the past.

However, Edelman doesn't believe Belichick's appreciation for Mosley, Rodgers and other Jets players would be enough to overcome his feelings toward the organization in recent years and become its next coach.

“I never got to see (Belichick or Vrabel coaching the Jets). “We never liked the Jets,” Edelman said. “It was always exactly what you said. Well, they had a couple teams with Rex (Ryan), we were 14-2, they smoked them three weeks before when they went to the divisional round, they smoked us. They beat us like that a few times. That was always a hiccup. This was always a blip on the radar that was unpredictable.

“No thought comes to mind at all because I think about whether Vrabel or Bill went to the Jets. It just doesn’t feel right.”

Belichick revealed in the 2018 documentary “The Two Bills” that he resigned from his brief post as head coach of the Jets in 2000 due to ownership questions. He shared that he was having “issues” with Woody Johnson, who wanted to buy the Jets at the time of Belichick’s resignation. Johnson became the owner of the Jets shortly thereafter.

Although Belichick has never said so directly, it is widely speculated that he has harbored a dislike for the Jets since the beginning of his tenure with the Patriots. Former Patriots assistant Eric Mangini was the Jets' head coach when New York sent a complaint to the league office that sparked the 2007 “Spygate” scandal.

Belichick also questioned the Jets' decision to fire Saleh, calling it “puzzling” on a recent episode of his podcast.

Belichick is also not one of the betting favorites to become the Jets' next head coach. His odds of becoming the Jets' next head coach are actually not listed at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Vrabel has the second-best odds (+400).