The New England Patriots appear to be looking for the next move for the franchise. Following early morning reports from Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter, Bill Belichick will be parting ways with the organization and will not be the head coach for the upcoming year.
This move comes through a year of speculation and what many have seen as a certain, probable move after the 2023 regular season.
From reports ranging from Tom Curan and others, this move is not sudden or surprising, but shocking nonetheless. Especially on the heels of the announcement of Nick Saban retiring, the sport will have lost two of its standout coaching pillars within 24 hours of each other.
This apparent confirmed move has led some to speculate that the upcoming Navy Midshipmen coaching staff could receive a sudden impact boost from the two coaching greats. Kidding aside, this would be of course a monumental shift in the NFL if proven to be true.
As a coach with the New England Patriots, Coach Belichick as amassed 24 seasons, 9 Super Bowl appearances, and 6 Super Bowl wins.
The mantra of “Do Your Job” was a long-term staple for the organization and may ultimately prove to be his unceremonious undoing.
Life without Tom Brady was always going to be hard, but the manner and struggle, which the past few seasons have shown added to the firing rumors and speculation. The caveat always being added by Coach Belichick while coaching the New England Patriots was always the need to not only do your job but to do it well. And lately, many public former players have come out and said that the future Hall-of-Fame coach would cut himself based on performance.
It is a production league, one that the coach lived by. He knew that performance on the field is ultimately what provides job security. And given how he was known for cutting players a year late rather than a year too late, some have said that based off of his latest performances, this latest news comes with benefits given grace that he did not extend to others.
New England Patriots From Here
Plenty of names are circulating in potential coaching hires around the league. While former New England Patriots Jerod Mayo and current assistant is on the wishlist, so too is another former Pats player in Mike Vrabel. Especially with his recent departure from Tennessee, the tea leaves look to be forecasting this reunion.
There is speculation that a part of why Vrabel was let go was due to how he conducted himself when being inducted into the New England Patriots Hall-Of-Fame. Seen closely with owner Bob Kraft, some have speculated that these are the breadcrumbs that will ultimately lead to him succeeding his former coach in Foxboro.
Either way, one way or another, whoever ends up replacing Coach Belichick will need to have strong character and command of the room. Taking over for arguably one of the greatest coaches ever, and from the style in which he ran the franchise will prove to be a challenge for any incoming head coach.
Hopefully, for the New England Patriots franchise, that is a problem to be solved before another season as this all still seems like a bad dream, when the GOAT is ready to move on in his career at his choosing.