Bill Belichick’s departure from the New England Patriots this upcoming offseason apparently isn’t a foregone conclusion.
Over the past month, there have been conflicting reports about Belichick’s future with the organization. Some reports have stated that owner Robert Kraft has already decided to part ways with Belichick, while others suggest that a call has not been made on that front.
In his latest mailbag, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer responded to a fan’s inquiry about the chances of Belichick returning to New England in 2024. Though Breer believes it’s below 50 percent, the NFL insider outlined a potential scenario that has Belichick coming back.
Breer’s scenario would have Kraft restructuring the front office and hiring a new GM to work with Belichick, with both reporting to the owner:
“But I could see a scenario where Patriots owner Robert Kraft goes to Belichick and lays it out like this: We were going to restructure football ops after you retired, so rather than waiting for that, we’re going to do it now. I’m hiring a general manager. You won’t report to him, but he won’t report to you, either. Both of you will report to me, and you will work together, with his job being to build the roster up to 90, and your job being to cut it down to 53. If you want to be a part of that, great. If not, we can find a graceful way to end this.
That would allow for Kraft to say that he tried, and he didn’t kick Belichick out the door. What I don’t know is whether Belichick would go for that or not. Most people who know him say there is no way. But it’s possible his reaction to a proposal like that would ride on what his options might be outside of the Patriots.”
The Patriots won six Super Bowls in the Belichick-Tom Brady era from 2001 to 2019, and they didn’t have a single losing season in that span. However, the Patriots have suffered three losing seasons in four years since Brady’s departure, and next February will mark five years since the franchise’s last postseason victory.
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Belichick’s roster construction as the de facto GM in the post-Brady era has been the main issue in Foxborough. The 71-year-old remains a defensive-minded genius, but he’s failed to build a suitable offense to keep up with the many prolific units across the league.
We’ll find out in the coming weeks if Belichick’s days as a head coach are done, or if he’ll get a 25th year in New England.
