Patriots Coach Hired By Bill O'Brien At Boston College
Longtime New England Patriots assistant Berj Najarian, a constant throughout the entire Bill Belichick era, is joining another former Patriots coach at the college level.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Najarian is joining former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien as chief of staff for the Boston College Eagles. Najarian is the latest to join the growing group of Patriots assistants following O'Brien to Chestnut Hill after Belichick's departure from Foxboro.
Dec 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium.
Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Despite working with the Patriots for so long, Najarian is somewhat of a mysterious figure in New England. He followed Belichick from the New York Jets when the legendary coach took over in 2000, and his official title was director of football/head coach administration.
One thing is for sure, though, Najarian was one Belichick's most-trusted confidants in New England. A 2012 New York Times article described him as the Patriots' "consigliere" (meaning an advisor or counselor to a Mafia boss), and in 2019, Belichick briefly told The Boston Globe about Najarian's role with the team.
“I needed somebody to do the non-football stuff,” Belichick told the Globe in 2019. “Somebody who was not a coach. As a head coach, you deal with a lot of non-football things that relate to the job. Berj and I talked about different options and he said, ‘Why don’t I just do that?’ And I said, ‘Well, let’s see how it goes.’”
If it wasn't clear enough before, Najarian going to the collegiate level may be the final nail in the coffin for Belichick coaching in 2024.
Meanwhile, O'Brien, who spent just a few weeks at Ohio State before accepting the Boston College head coaching job, has brought in multiple former Patriots assistants to fill out his staff, most notably tight ends coach Will Lawing as his offensive coordinator.
