New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo will need to find a new right-hand man to lead the defense. Steve Belichick, son of franchise legend and former HC Bill Belichick, is leaving the organization after more than a decade to become the new defensive coordinator for the Washington football Huskies, per ESPN's Field Yates.

Belichick first started with the Patriots as an assistant in 2012 before climbing the coaching ladder. He operated as defensive play-caller for the last five seasons, giving opposing offenses plenty of trouble. There was a chance Belichick could remain in Foxborough given the amount of time he spent working with Mayo, but the Huskies' howl is evidently too strong to ignore.

The Washington hire did not come out of the blue, with a relationship already existing between Belichick and the program's new head coach. Jedd Fisch served as New England's quarterbacks coach in 2020 before finally getting his big break with the Arizona Wildcats. In three years, he turned them into a 10-win team and delivered Tucson its first bowl game victory since 2015.

Clearly, those results have Belichick's attention. He instantly becomes a highly valuable member of Fisch's staff, especially since Washington is leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten Conference. The drastic differences in style of play will be an adjustment for most of the West Coast teams.

This will also be a big change for Steve Belichick on an individual level. Regardless of his own qualifications and accolades, he has walked in his father's shadow for the past several years while on the Patriots. He can now establish himself as a separate entity, free from any preconceived notions or judgment.