‘It just doesn’t feel right’: What Julian Edelman said of the possibility of Bill Belichick coaching the Jets

"We never liked the Jets."

When the Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday, Bill Belichick was quickly speculated as a possible replacement.

The former Patriots head coach has previously worked for the organization, serving as their defensive coordinator for three seasons and technically had two stints where he was the Jets’ head coach. Of course, Belichick has never been the Jets’ head coach for an actual game, infamously stepping down from the role in 2000 to become the head coach of the Patriots.

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

“The Jets do have a really good defense and [Belichick and Mike Vrabel] are two real defensive-happy head coaches,” Edelman said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “I’m telling you, Bill, if you listen to him talk about [C.J.] Mosley and the whole defensive front for the Jets, he like that — he loves that team.”

Belichick has given notable praise to multiple Jets players in the past. He actually noted how Mosley called out which plays the Patriots were running on offense following a game against the Jets in 2022.

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has also been frequently praised by Belichick. Following the Packers’ win over the Patriots in 2022, Belichick credited Rodgers for making plays that altered the game, calling him a “great, great player.” Rodgers has also shared an admiration for the head coach in the past.

However, Edelman doesn’t think that whatever appreciation Belichick has for Mosley, Rodgers, and other players on the Jets would be enough to overcome his feelings toward the organization in recent years and become their next coach.

“I could never see [Belichick or Vrabel coaching the Jets]. We never liked the Jets,” Edelman said. “It was always exactly what you said. Now, they did have a few teams with Rex [Ryan] that we were 14-2, smoked them three weeks before, go to the division round, they smoked us. They beat us a couple times like that. That was always a hiccup. That was always a blip on the radar that was unpredictable.

“I can’t even come up with a thought because I’m thinking about if 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 the Jets’ head coach in 2000 due to questions about ownership. He shared that he had “issues” with Woody Johnson, who was looking to purchase the Jets at the time of Belichick’s resignation. Johnson wound up becoming the Jets’ owner shortly after.

While Belichick has never outright said it, it’s been commonly speculated that he’s held a dislike for the Jets since the start of his tenure with the Patriots. Former Patriots assistant Eric Mangini was the head coach of the Jets when New York sent a complaint to the league office that began the “Spygate” scandal in 2007.

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

Belichick isn’t among the betting favorites to become the next head coach of the Jets, either. His odds to become the next Jets head coach actually aren’t listed at DraftKings Sportsbook while Vrabel has the second-best odds (+400).