How Bill Parcells Views Bill Belichick’s Patriots Exit, NFL Future

For the first time in over two decades, the Patriots introduced a new head coach and Bill Belichick will coach a new team.

Jerod Mayo on Wednesday was introduced as New England’s 15th head coach and first Black head coach in franchise history. Belichick reportedly will head to Atlanta for his second run of interviews, which seems very likely he will be the next Falcons head coach.

It’s a time of momentous change for Patriots fans, and someone who’s well aware of the changing NFL landscape is Bill Parcells. The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy caught up with the two-time Super Bowl champion for a unique perspective on what Belichick could be going through.

“Coaching can be a narcotic for guys like us,” Parcells told Shaughnessy. “I can put Pete Carroll and Bill in there. We view ourselves as coaches. It can be a grind, and the older you get, sometimes the grind gets greater, but we love the game.

“You still got to do it the way you know it should be done. And knowing Bill so well, I’m sure he did it exactly like that. I’m sure Pete did, too. That doesn’t mean it’s any less of a task, but as you get older, it takes a little more.

“I don’t feel like it ever beat me down. After a while, you know it’s going to end sometime, but it’s never a good time.”

Parcells and Belichick have a long and close relationship, but the 81-year-old didn’t have any insight or advice for Belichick and his next spot.

“I wouldn’t give him any advice, I really wouldn’t,” Parcells was quoted as saying. “He’s been around long enough to know what he wants to do, and I really don’t have any idea what that is. All I know is, he’s a football lifer and he’s shown that.

“I’m pretty sure if he wants to coach again, he’ll be looking for a situation that he thinks is conducive to winning. In this business, it’s either euphoria or disaster. I hope he does whatever makes him happy.”

Parcells called Belichick’s run with the Patriots “remarkable” and praised Boston as a sports town. Belichick’s departure still is a shock to Patriots fans, but New England quickly is on the path forward in a new direction.