Ex-Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema Joins Patriots as Consultant

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bret Bielema officially has a new job back in football.

The former University of Arkansas head coach will be serving a consultant to New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick this upcoming season. Bielema has been working with the team since this spring. His new title was listed in the Patriots team media guide.

This is Bielema's first NFL position. Belichick said Wednesday that Bielema's specific role is evolving but that he expects "it will kind of work its way into some areas."

The 48-year-old was a defensive coordinator at Kansas State and Wisconsin before taking over as the Badgers coach from 2006 to 2012. He left that position for Arkansas the following season, where he went 29-34 over five seasons before getting fired following a 4-8 campaign in 2017.