Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are scheduled to part ways Thursday after a record 24 seasons together, capping an unrivalled run in NFL history that included six Super Bowl championships, according to league sources. Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft met several times this week to discuss how they wanted to proceed. According to those involved with the chats, there was no friction or argument, and in the end, good discussions ended in a consensual resolution that made both parties comfortable and at rest.
His departure from New England is scheduled to occur less than 24 hours after his close pal Nick Saban retires from Alabama
Both Belichick and Kraft, as one outside party noted, “took the high road,” which was fitting for an owner-coach tandem that will go down as one of the greatest and most decorated in NFL history. Belichick, who has one year left on his contract, will be able to leave the Patriots without being compensated. He intends to continue coaching and is expected to attract interest from at least some of the other seven NFL teams with head-coaching vacancies, including the Atlanta Falcons, according to league sources. The Patriots will now conduct their first head-coaching search in a quarter-century. According to insiders, Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, whom the organization signed to a contract deal in the offseason and Kraft has identified as a potential head-coaching contender, is expected to be one of, if not the top candidate for the job. Mayo played with the Patriots from 2008 to 2014 and has been an assistant to Belichick since 2019.
Belichick’s departure from New England is scheduled to occur less than 24 hours after his close pal Nick Saban retires from Alabama. There is symmetry and familiarity in the farewells of two football icons — men universally regarded as the best coaches in professional and collegiate football history. Belichick helped lead the Patriots to nine Super Bowl trips and six titles, while Saban guided Alabama to nine SEC Championships and six national championships.
Belichick, 71, leaves New England with 333 career victories, second only to Don Shula, who has 347
Additionally, Saban succeeded Pete Carroll as the Ohio State secondary coach in 1980; Belichick worked with Saban in Cleveland from 1991 to 1994; and Belichick replaced Carroll as the Patriots head coach in 2000 before all three vacated their long-standing jobs this week in a 24-hour period. The fact that Belichick and Kraft are parting ways is unfortunate, but not unexpected. Kraft emphasized the importance of the Patriots making the playoffs this season. Instead, they were among the first teams eliminated on December 10. Speculation regarding Belichick’s future circulated throughout the 2023 season, with one of the team’s low points occurring on November 12 in a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany. Before that game, Kraft, 82, told NFL Network that the previous season had been disappointing. I had thought things would improve significantly, as did our fan base. This is not what we expected to happen this year.”
Another important consideration for Kraft was the franchise’s direction after quarterback Tom Brady’s departure as a free agent following the 2019 season. Since losing Brady, which hurt Kraft, the Patriots have lost three of their previous four seasons, and their most recent playoff victory was a 13-3 victory against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019, when Brady was still on the roster. Belichick, 71, leaves New England with 333 career victories, second only to Don Shula, who has 347. Belichick, George Halas, and Curly Lambeau are the only NFL coaches to have won six championships since playoff play began in 1933. Belichick’s 24-year tenure was the fifth longest of any head coach with one team. He had completed his 49th consecutive NFL season in 2023, the most consecutive coaching season in league history.