Mike Vrabel joined the New England Patriots as head coach in a throwback to the Bill Belichick era.

But his tenure won't involve Belichick's son, Brian Belichick.

Brian Belichick is leaving the Patriots after five seasons as their safeties coach, according to ESPN. He'd been on staff since 2016 under his father in previous roles as a scouting and coaching assistant. Belichick remained on staff under the one-year tenure of Jerod Mayo after his father and the Patriots parted in 2024 following a 24-year run that featured six Super Bowl championships.

It's not clear from the report what prompted the move or if Belichick already has another plan in motion. After a year away from coaching Bill Belichick is now the head coach at the University of North Carolina.

Bill Belichick's other son Steve Belichick joined him on staff at North Carolina as defensive coordinator. Steve spent nine years on his father's staff with the Patriots and then a single season as the University of Washington's defensive coordinator before taking the same role at North Carolina. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were no reports connecting Brian Belichick to his father's staff at UNC.

It's also not clear who will replace Brian Belichick in New England. The Patriots hired Vrabel to replace Mayo, who was fired after a single season on the job in place of Bill Belichick. Vrabel played eight seasons as a Patriots linebacker under Bill Belichick and was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018-2023. Vrabel hired longtime Bill Belichick-collaborator Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator in one of his first moves as Patriots head coach.