After months of speculation, there will in fact be a coaching change for the New England Patriots, adding more fuel to the fire of what is already a wild coaching carousel in the NFL.
The team will hold a press conference at noon to make official what was reported on Thursday morning by Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Adam Schefter, which is that Bill Belichick is parting ways with the franchise after 24 years at the helm — a day after fellow coaching legends Pete Carroll and Nick Saban stepped aside in Seattle and Tuscaloosa.
The #Patriots are moving on and so is the greatest coach of all time.
Bill Belichick won’t be New England’s coach in 2024, per me and @TomPelissero, as his celebrated 24-year tenure, one that included 6 Super Bowl wins, is over. A new era awaits. pic.twitter.com/QRqfe2lkHh— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2024
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are expected to part ways today after a remarkable 24 seasons together, ending an unmatched run in NFL history that included six Super Bowl titles, league sources tell me and @MikeReiss. pic.twitter.com/IcibaPpA4S
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 11, 2024
Belichick’s tenure in New England is the best in NFL history, as he won 6 Super Bowl titles (and played in three more), creating the longest lasting dynasty the NFL has seen — with a lot of help from Tom Brady and some all-time great players on both sides of the ball. Belichick’s Patriots went 266-120 in the regular season and 30-12 in the playoffs, a truly remarkable record — especially considering some struggles over the past few years.
As Schefter added, unlike Nick Saban, Belichick is not retiring but will seek out other coaching opportunities, with the Atlanta Falcons (somewhat ironically) expected to pursue the legendary coach for its vacancy.
Bill Belichick will want to continue coaching and is expected to draw interest from at least some of the other seven NFL teams that currently have head coach vacancies, quite possibly the Atlanta Falcons, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 11, 2024
There have been questions about whether Belichick still has “it” when it comes to coaching a team in this current era. The biggest issue his recent Pats teams had were never being able to replace Brady at quarterback, shuffling between veterans and young players, none of whom could run the offense successfully. Without a quality signalcaller, the Patriots offense has floundered near the bottom of the league in most statistical categories since Brady’s departure. Wherever Belichick goes next, we’ll learn whether that was partially a stubbornness of Belichick to not change how he wants his team to play, or if it was simply an issue of never bringing in the right quarterback.
On the flip side, finding that quarterback will be one of the biggest tasks for whoever comes in to take over for Belichick in New England — both as coach and as general manager. Current defensive coordinator Jerod Mayo and former Patriots player Mike Vrabel, who was recently fired from Tennessee, are the heavy favorites to land the New England coaching job given their ties to the organization. The Pats will have plenty of competition on the market, as they become the eighth team to open up a coaching vacancy this offseason as a quarter of the league will change coaches.