Though Arkansas fired coach Bret Bielema at the end of the 2017 season, he was still around the SEC this offseason, albeit in a different role.

That’s because he was working with the New England Patriots ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft, and he has continued to serve on coach Bill Belichick’s staff, though he doesn’t yet have a defined role.

This week, Bielema spoke with Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports and said he’s loving life in the NFL:

“The thing I love about football in the NFL is you go to work at 6 a.m. and you leave at 9 [p.m.] and it’s nothing but football,” Bielema told CBS Sports. “It’s just purely football.”

Bielema said one of the things he loves most about the NFL ranks is that the rosters are made up of only the best of the best players:

“It’s a whole different way to coach [in the NFL],” Bielema said. “I understand once they go to that level, coaches don’t ever go back.

“One of the most ‘a-ha’ moments was one of the first drills I did during OTAs. I had 11 [defensive] guys go through the drills. ‘Holy cow, these guys are good.’ These are the elite of your elite.”

Dodd reports that Bielema is expected to have a more defined role on Belichick’s staff by the time the 2018 season kicks off. If he stays in New England for a couple of years, he may decide to leave the college game behind for good.