Patriots, Bill Belichick part ways after 24 seasons
The New England Patriots and Bill Belichick are parting ways after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl championships together, the team announced.
The reports trickled out Thursday amid a wild 24 hours in professional coaching, when fans saw Pete Carroll leave his post as Seattle Seahawks head coach and then Alabama football coach Nick Saban announce his retirement.
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New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft met over the course of the last few days to discuss the future, and those talks yielded no issues between the two, as well as a mutual decision that the time had come to end the reign, ESPN reported, citing sources.
Belichick reportedly had one year left on his contract. He noted his contact status with reporters asking about his future on Monday following the team’s season finale loss to the New York Jets.
“So, I’m under contract, do what I always do, which is every day I come in and work as hard as I can to help the team in whatever way I can,” he said. “So, that’s what I’m going to continue to do.
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Tom Brady talks to New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 24, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
“Today was kind of a wrap-up day for us with the players, have a meeting with them and then go from there. So, as far as any decisions or direction or anything like that for next year, it’s way too early for that.”
Other reports said on Wednesday that it was business as usual for Belichick.
Patriots team owner Robert Kraft made clear it was an “amicable” decision.
Belichick, 71, took over the Patriots job in 2000 after spurning the Jets at the last possible second. The team went 5-11 in his first season and missed the playoffs. However, Week 2 of the 2001 season changed the trajectory of his coaching tenure, the franchise and the entire NFL. Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury and Tom Brady started in his place.
Brady went on to lead the Patriots and help get Belichick six Super Bowl rings. The two dominated the NFL in two different eras before Brady went on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Belichick was unable to build a similar team and only made the playoffs once since the legendary quarterback left.
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New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick before Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
The Belichick era came with some controversy. A Patriots assistant was caught taping Jets defensive signals from an unapproved location. Belichick was fined $500,000 and docked a first-round draft pick. He took responsibility for the coach’s actions.
The Patriots were also penalized for “Deflategate.” While Belichick was not reprimanded, Brady was suspended for four games.
Belichick wrapped up his career with the Patriots with a 266-121 record. His teams won 17 AFC East championships. The last four years were a little rougher as he made the playoffs in 2021 but finished under .500 in three of those seasons.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick after a game against the New York Jets on Jan. 7, 2024, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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What is next for both sides is unclear. Belichick has been rumored to be a candidate for other coaching positions around the NFL, while a litany of former Patriots players and assistants could be in line for the opening.
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