Bill Belichick had a vision of building the kind of sustained championship football team that had rarely been seen before in the NFL when he was hired by the New England Patriots. He walks away feeling like it was a job well done.
Quick Read
- End of an Era: Bill Belichick has agreed to part ways as the coach of the New England Patriots, ending a 24-year tenure that saw the creation of the NFL’s most successful dynasty in the Super Bowl era.
- Belichick’s Legacy: Belichick leaves with a legacy of six NFL championships, becoming a key figure in one of the league’s most successful franchises.
- Media Availability: Both Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft made statements at a media availability, though they did not take questions. Kraft is expected to have a separate media session later.
- Belichick’s Career Achievements: He is the third coach in NFL history to reach 300 career regular-season victories and has a total of 333 wins including playoffs, second only to Don Shula.
- Patriots’ Recent Performance: The Patriots finished this season with a 4-13 record, marking Belichick’s worst as an NFL head coach.
- Belichick’s Next Move: The 71-year-old coach is expected to continue his coaching career elsewhere, with the aim of surpassing Shula’s record for most victories.
- Belichick’s Influence: Known for his tactical prowess and detailed approach, Belichick led the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories, nine AFC titles, and 17 division championships.
- Coaching Contributions: Beyond his time with the Patriots, Belichick’s earlier coaching tenure included a stint with the original Cleveland Browns.
- Potential Replacements: The Patriots may consider internal candidates such as linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, or external options like former Patriots player and recently fired Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel.
- Belichick’s Challenges: His legacy is marred by controversies including cheating investigations, as well as a decline in team performance since Tom Brady’s departure in 2019.
- Impact on the Patriots: Belichick’s departure signifies a significant transition for the Patriots, who will look to rebuild and regain their dominant status in the NFL.
- Reflections on Partnership: Kraft described his relationship with Belichick as a long-term partnership, expressing pride in their achievements together.
The Associated Press has the story:
Patriots’ ‘partnership’ with Bill Belichick comes to an end after 24 seasons, 6 Super Bowl titles
Newslooks- (AP)
Bill Belichick had a vision of building the kind of sustained championship football team that had rarely been seen before in the NFL when he was hired by the New England Patriots.
He walks away feeling like it was a job well done.
The six-time NFL champion agreed to part ways as the coach of the Patriots, ending his 24-year tenure as the architect of the most decorated dynasty of the league’s Super Bowl era.
“It’s with so many fond memories and thoughts that I think about the Patriots,” Belichick said on Thursday in a media availability with owner Robert Kraft. “I’ll always be a Patriot. I look forward to coming back here. But at this time, we’re going to move on. And I look forward, excited for the future.”
Neither Belichick nor Kraft took questions, though Kraft scheduled an availability for later in the day.
Speaking to reporters from the podium where he had given so many terse, non-responsive postgame recaps, Belichick appeared in a jacket and tie and spoke first, followed by Kraft. The coach even smiled a couple of times — including when he conceded respect for the media “even though we don’t always see eye to eye.”
He also thanked the fans for “the sendoffs, the parades, the Sundays.” But most of his time was spent thanking the people throughout the organization, especially the more than 1,000 Patriots players he coached in his time here.
“Players win games in the NFL,” Belichick said. “I’ve been very, very fortunate to coach some of the greatest players to ever play the game.”
Kraft called the relationship a marriage that had required work and had come to an end.
“I’m very proud that our partnership lasted for 24 years,” Kraft said. “Bill has taught me a lot over those years, and we had high expectations for what we could achieve together. I think we were the only ones who had those expectations, and I think it’s safe to say we exceeded them.”
“We did,” Belichick agreed.
“Thanks to you,” Kraft said.
Belichick, 71, became just the third coach in NFL history to reach 300 career regular-season victories earlier this season, joining Hall of Famers Don Shula and George Halas. With 333 wins including the playoffs, Belichick trails only Shula (347) for the record for victories by a coach.
But the Patriots ended this season 4-13, Belichick’s worst record in 29 seasons as an NFL head coach. It supplanted the 5-11 mark he managed in his last year in Cleveland in 1995 and again in his first year in New England in 2000. Including the playoffs, he ends his Patriots tenure with a 333-178 overall record.
Belichick is expected to resume his pursuit of Shula’s record elsewhere.
With his cutoff hoodies and ever-present scowl, Belichick teamed with quarterback Tom Brady to lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories, nine AFC titles and 17 division championships in 19 years. During a less successful — but also tumultuous — stint with the original Cleveland Browns, Belichick earned 37 of his career victories.
Reaction to Thursday’s announcement poured in across social media. It included one from Brady, who responded with three heart emojis to a post on ESPN’s Instagram page which had photos of Belichick and Kraft embracing during Thursday’s news conference.
It’s not immediately clear who Kraft will tap to replace the future Hall of Famer.
Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo won a Super Bowl ring playing under Belichick and has interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies since becoming a New England assistant in 2019. Mayo turned down a few interviews last offseason before signing a contract extension to remain with the Patriots.
Mike Vrabel, who was fired earlier this week by the Tennessee Titans and won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, is also expected to be a candidate for the head coaching job.
Belichick had been grooming offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to replace him before McDaniels left following the 2021 season to become the coach of the Raiders. He has since been fired by Las Vegas. Belichick’s two sons, Steve and Brian, are also on the coaching staff.
Belichick’s exit from the Patriots comes just a day after another coaching great and longtime friend Nick Saban announced he’d retire after winning seven college national championships. Saban worked for Belichick’s father, Steve, in the 1980s as a coach at Navy, and Bill Belichick hired Saban as his defensive coordinator when he became Cleveland’s head coach in 1991.
The six Super Bowl wins tie Belichick with pre-merger mentors Halas and Curly Lambeau for the most NFL championships. Belichick also won two rings as Bill Parcells’ defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.
But the Patriots have stumbled to a 29-38 record since Brady departed following the 2019 season and missed the playoffs in three of those four seasons. Beginning in 2001 when Brady became the starting quarterback, the Patriots missed the playoffs only once — when Brady was injured in 2008. This marked New England’s fifth consecutive season without a playoff victory.
Belichick’s subsequent solutions at quarterback haven’t panned out.
Brady’s initial replacement, Cam Newton, didn’t resemble the player who won the 2015 MVP award and was cut after a 7-9 finish in 2020. Meanwhile, Brady won his seventh Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that same season.
Potential long-term replacement Mac Jones, a 2021 first-round draft choice, was a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie and led New England to the playoffs. But he regressed in Year 2 when Belichick put longtime defensive assistant Matt Patricia in charge of the offense. Jones didn’t fare much better this season when Bill O’Brien returned as offensive coordinator. He was benched four times before being replaced as starter by backup Bailey Zappe for the final six games.
That left the Patriots looking at a lengthy rebuild, with no candidate on the roster to bring stability to the sport’s most important position.
Belichick, who also served as the de facto general manager with final say on personnel decisions, was celebrated for his ingenuity managing the salary cap during the run of Super Bowl success. It included getting stars like Brady and others to accept cap-friendly contracts or adjust their deals to accommodate the signing of other players.
But that acclaim has waned in the years since Brady left, as a run of draft picks and high-priced free agents didn’t live up to expectations. In addition, Belichick has seen several members of his personnel and scouting departments leave for other jobs. The list includes his former player personnel director, Nick Caserio, who was hired as Houston’s general manager in 2021.
Now it won’t be Belichick making the decisions for the Patriots on or off the field.
Belichick, the only child of a World War II veteran who spent three decades as a Navy assistant coach, is a football historian with an encyclopedic knowledge of strategy from the sport’s early days to current NFL trends. His players said his attention to detail never left them unprepared.
Belichick has been a master of the NFL rule book, unearthing loopholes in clock operations and offensive line formations that — though entirely legal — cemented his reputation as a mad genius.
But his legacy in New England also includes two major cheating investigations — and other minor ones — that cost him and the team draft picks and more than $1 million in fines. Opponents accused the Patriots of everything from hacking their headsets to cutting corners on injury reports.
His friendship with former President Donald Trump, which Belichick insisted was not political, landed the coach on the list to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom in the waning days of the administration. After the outcry against the U.S. Capitol siege, Belichick announced “the decision has been made not to move forward.”
So what’s next for the 6-time Super Bowl champion?
Now that Bill Belichick is out as coach of the New England Patriots after 24 seasons, the question turns to where will the six-time Super Bowl champion go next.
The 71-year-old Belichick needs just 15 wins to surpass Don Shula’s all-time record of 347 in the regular season and playoffs and could have options about where to go if he wants to go after that record.
There are already seven other coaching openings outside of New England. The Raiders, Chargers and Panthers fired coaches during the season and the postseason changes have already begun. The Atlanta Falcons fired Arthur Smith on Sunday night, the Commanders fired Ron Rivera on Monday, the Titans let Mike Vrabel go on Tuesday, and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll stepped down on Wednesday.
Here’s a look at the current openings in the NFL and how Belichick might fit:
ATLANTA FALCONS
Three straight seven-win seasons led to Smith’s firing as he was unable to develop a quarterback or create a competent offense despite using top 10 picks on tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson.
That core provides the opportunity for a better offense if a legitimate quarterback can be found. The defense does have a few good pieces led by safety Jessie Bates and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett for someone like Belichick to build around.
With 81-year-old owner Arthur Blank seeming to run out of patience, making a run at a proven coach like Belichick to help the Falcons win the NFL’s weakest division could make sense.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
The Panthers have taken on the mantle of the NFL’s most dysfunctional franchise under owner David Tepper, who has gone through six coaches — including interims — since taking over as owner in 2018. Belichick could bring immediate credibility to a team sorely in need of it.
Tepper fired Ron Rivera during the 2019 season, Matt Rhule early in the 2022 season and Frank Reich just 11 games into his tenure this past season. He even got into trouble with the league last week for throwing a drink at a fan in Jacksonville, leading to a $300,000 fine.
Making matters worse for the two-win Panthers is the fact that they traded away the pick that turned into the No. 1 overall selection in April to move up to draft Bryce Young last year. Young struggled as a rookie but still has potential that could be an attraction for Belichick.
Tepper has plenty of money if Belichick is looking for a big pay day but it might take a few years to break Shula’s record, considering the state of the roster.LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Owner Mark Davis has liked to take big swings on his coaching hires in the past, most notably when he brought back Jon Gruden for a second stint. Belichick’s old quarterback, Tom Brady, already is a part owner of Davis’ WNBA team and has an agreement to acquire a piece of the Raiders as well, pending league approval.
But the Raiders tried the Patriot Way without success when they hired former New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as coach and executive Dave Ziegler as general manager, only to fire both after less than two years. That could make Davis hesitant to go that direction again.
Interim coach Antonio Pierce provided a spark after taking over for McDaniels and has a shot to keep the job after going 5-4.
The Raiders also don’t have many building blocks for a quick turnaround outside of star defensive end Maxx Crosby and 31-year-old receiver Davante Adams to make the job attractive to Belichick.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
The Chargers are one of 12 franchises never to have won a Super Bowl, making a six-time champion an enticing candidate.
Despite that lack of success, a small local fan base and an ownership group that hasn’t typically paid big money to coaches, the Chargers do offer one major positive to try to lure Belichick if they are interested.
Quarterback Justin Herbert has established himself as one of the top passers in the game in his four seasons and might just need the proper coach to build up the rest of the team in order to be able to compete for a title.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Belichick replaced Pete Carroll in New England back in 2000 and went on to win six Super Bowls with the Patriots. It seems less likely that he would be the choice to do that in Seattle.
The Seahawks have some good young building blocks on both sides of the ball, led by receiver DK Metcalf and cornerback Devon Witherspoon, but could be looking for a longer-term answer instead of bringing in another coach in his 70s.
TENNESSEE TITANS
After back-to-back losing seasons in Tennessee, the Titans got rid of Belichick’s former player, Mike Vrabel, as coach. But this doesn’t seem to be the best spot for Belichick to go if he wants to chase Shula’s record.
The Titans have some good pieces on defense and plenty of salary cap room but the offense needs lots of work. The line likely needs a major overhaul, the team lacks receivers and star running back Derrick Henry is headed for free agency.
There are also big questions at quarterback, where second-round pick Will Levis showed some flashes as a rookie but is far from a proven answer.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
What once was one of the least desirable places under former owner Dan Snyder is a far more attractive spot under Josh Harris’ ownership group.
The roster needs plenty of work with no proven quarterback and two key defensive starters traded away for draft picks during the season. But the Commanders do have the No. 2 overall pick, six selections in the top 102 in April’s draft and what is projected to be the most salary cap room in the NFL.
Washington could offer some sentimental attraction to Belichick, who grew up in the area when his father coached at Navy and who spent more than a decade in the NFC East as an assistant on the New York Giants.
It also could appeal to the historian in Belichick, who could follow in Vince Lombardi’s path. After winning five NFL titles in Green Bay, Lombardi finished his coaching with one season in Washington before dying in 1970.
