New England Patriots Reportedly Parting Ways With Coach Bill Belichick in 2024
Bill Belichick has struggled with the New England Patriots for the last few years.
The Bill Belichick era could be coming to an end for the New England Patriots. According to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), the Patriots will likely part ways with Belichick once the 2023 season ends. It's believed that Patriots owner Robert Kraft decided to make a change at the head coach position following the Patriots' loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10 of the season.
"When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made," Curran said. "They were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year, there would be a parting of the ways for a variety of reasons."
Curran also said that the Patriots could move Belichick in a "de facto trade" to a new team, which is one of the reasons why the team is not firing him during the season. Before the game against the Colts, Kraft spoke to Rich Eisen about the team's struggles this year.
"This is our thirtieth year that I've had the privilege of owning this team, and I've never been 2-7," Kraft said. "So it's really disappointing and I hoped that things would be a lot better, as I know our fan base did. And I hope today is a chance to reset and make this a much better year. This isn't what we were expecting to happen this year."
The Patriots have been eliminated from playoff contention this year as they have a 3-10 record. This is the Patriots' third losing season in four years, and it's the first time they have lost 10 or more games since 2000, which was Belichick's first season in New England. Belichick and the Patriots have not been the same since Tom Brady left the team in 2020. When Brady was the Patriots' starting quarterback, Belichick led the team to nine Super Bowl appearances with six Super Bowl wins from 2001 to 2019. He was also named AP Coach of the Year three times (2003, 2007, 2010) and is a member of the 2000s and 2010s All-Decade Teams. Belichick holds the record for most Super Bowl wins (eight), most Super Bowl appearances (12) and most playoff wins as a head coach (31).