Bill Belichick, concluding an extraordinary 24-season tenure, announced on Thursday that he would no longer serve as the New England Patriots’ coach. Reflecting on his unparalleled run in NFL history, which included six Super Bowl titles, Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft engaged in productive discussions throughout the week, leading to a mutual decision devoid of conflict or disagreement.
In a press conference, Kraft hailed Belichick as the greatest coach of all time, emphasizing that the move was a necessary mutual agreement. Kraft expressed his belief that Belichick’s achievements would remain unparalleled. The departing coach, with one year left on his contract, expressed gratitude to Kraft and his family, stating that their vision of building a championship football team had exceeded expectations.
Belichick, who expressed his perpetual allegiance to the Patriots, will depart without compensation sought by the team. He intends to continue coaching and is likely to attract interest from several NFL teams with head-coaching vacancies, potentially including the Atlanta Falcons.
While Kraft acknowledged the difficulty of seeing Belichick in a different coaching capacity, he wished him continued success, except when facing the Patriots. The departure marks the Patriots’ first head-coaching search in 25 years, with Jerod Mayo, the linebackers coach and a rising coaching prospect, emerging as a leading candidate. Mayo, who played for the Patriots and has been an assistant under Belichick since 2019, could potentially be hired without the standard NFL process if he’s the chosen successor.
Kraft opted not to trade Belichick, stating it wouldn’t be right to treat the coach’s departure as a transaction. The Patriots’ owner emphasized the search for a coach to guide them back to playoff success. Tom Brady, in an Instagram post, lauded Belichick as the best coach in NFL history and expressed gratitude for their shared accomplishments.
Belichick’s departure coincided with his close friend Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama, creating a notable parallel between the exits of two football legends, both widely regarded as the greatest in their respective coaching realms. The symmetry extends to their connections with Pete Carroll and their decades-long coaching careers before vacating their roles within a 24-hour period.
The separation of Belichick and Kraft carries a touch of sorrow, though it’s not unexpected. Kraft emphasized the importance of the Patriots making the playoffs, but they were among the first teams eliminated on Dec. 10.
During the 2023 season, speculation about Belichick’s future heightened, with a low point on Nov. 12 in a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany.
Playoff Dominance
Bill Belichick holds the record for the most playoff victories among NFL coaches, with 31 postseason wins, nine more than second-place Andy Reid.
Top Playoff Wins by Head Coach – NFL History
COACH WINS
Bill Belichick 31*
Andy Reid 22
Tom Landry 20
Don Shula 19
30 with Patriots
Before that game, Kraft, at 82 years old, expressed disappointment to NFL Network: “It’s really been disappointing. I had hoped things would be a lot better, as I know our fan base did… This isn’t what we were expecting to happen this year.”
Another concern for Kraft was the team’s trajectory since Brady’s departure in 2019. Since then, the Patriots have had losing records in three of four seasons, with their last playoff win in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019.
Belichick, 71, leaves New England with 333 career victories (including playoffs), ranking second all time behind Don Shula and his 347. Belichick, George Halas, and Curly Lambeau are the only NFL coaches with six championships since postseason play began in 1933.
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Belichick’s 24-year tenure was the fifth-longest of any head coach with one team, completing his 49th consecutive NFL season in 2023, the most consecutive coaching seasons in league history.
He is now seeking his 50th season with another NFL franchise.
Kraft described it as an “emotional day” for the organization, explaining why he believed it was the right decision. “Our family is the custodian of this asset, the New England Patriots, and we know how important it is to the psyche of the community… What’s gone on here the last three to four years isn’t what we want, so we have a responsibility to do what we can to fix it to the best of our ability.”
As Belichick leaves New England, his résumé includes records likely to endure:
- 17 division titles, the most in NFL history.
- Nine conference championships, the most in the Super Bowl era.
- 12 Super Bowl appearances.
- 21 winning seasons, trailing only Halas, Shula, Lambeau, and Landry.
- One of four undefeated regular seasons in NFL history (2007), under the 16-game schedule from 1978 to 2020.
“Players win games in the NFL,” Belichick noted. “I’ve been very, very fortunate to coach some of the greatest players to ever play the game.”