The 2023 NFL regular season still has four weeks remaining, but the New England Patriots have reportedly made a decision on legendary head coach Bill Belichick.
Speaking on the NBC Sports Boston “Arbella Early Edition” program (h/t Kristen Wong of Sports Illustrated), Patriots insider Tom Curran reports that the Patriots will move on from Belichick after the season.
Curran added that owner Robert Kraft made the decision following the Patriots’ 10-6 Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany. And despite previous reports that Belichick signed a lucrative extension in the offseason, Curran added that he’s only signed through 2024:
“When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made. 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…
(Belichick’s) under contract for another year, which we reported after NFL media reported there was a long-term extension in place that would keep Bill locked up long-term. It’s only through next year, so that would not be an impediment to them changing course, and it had gone too far.”
Belichick’s future in New England has been a frequent discussion amid a miserable year for the Patriots. At 3-10, the Patriots have already clinched their worst record since 2001 (they went 5-11 in Belichick’s first year as HC).
The team has suffered its third losing and non-playoff season in four years, as well as a fifth straight year without a playoff victory.
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Belichick has struggled to piece together a playoff-caliber team in the post-Tom Brady era. He ruined Mac Jones’ development by making Matt Patricia and Joe Judge the offensive play-callers in 2022 following Josh McDaniels’ departure.
Bill O’Brien hasn’t been any better as New England’s offensive coordinator in 2023. Belichick has also failed to provide Jones (and current starter Bailey Zappe, for that matter), with a reliable offensive line and any true game-changing weapons.
Belichick will always be a hero in Foxborough, having turned a longtime losing franchise into a dynasty that won six Super Bowls over 18 years. But all good things must come to an end, and that will obviously include Belichick’s tenure in New England.
