For those expecting the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick to have an ugly breakup after the 2023 season, well, that is unlikely to happen. After all, Robert Kraft has learned his lesson from the team’s messy divorce with Tom Brady.
At least that’s according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, who reported that it’s unlikely for Kraft and the Patriots to actually fire Belichick. While that doesn’t mean that the legendary tactician will remain as head coach, there remains the possibility that he actually returns.
If not, it’s possible Belichick takes a different role with the team, or even allow him to seek a trade elsewhere.
“Kraft is also conscientious of how the Tom Brady situation played out and wants to make sure Belichick’s exit, whenever it comes, is handled the right way, making a firing (as opposed to a “mutual parting”) highly unlikely,” the report stated.
“Could Kraft present a plan, including possible front-office additions/changes, that Belichick would accept? If not, would Kraft give Belichick permission to seek a trade? And is there a match out there for Belichick, who would need to find the right owner and roster situation to build things his way quickly?
It will definitely be interesting to see what the New England Patriots will do with Bill Belichick. Amid the team’s failure to make the playoffs for two straight years and their 4-11 record through 16 weeks of NFL football this 2023, there have been conflicting reports on the coach’s future.
There have been claims that the Patriots have already decided to fire Belichick after the season, though other reports noted that no decision has been made and that Robert Kraft and the team will only assess their options after the campaign.
Based on Rapoport and Pelissero’s reporting, it appears that the latter is the more likely situation.
What Will Happen to New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick?
The New England Patriots have plenty of reasons to move on from Bill Belichick. Ever since Tom Brady left, they really haven’t been able to find much success under the head coach. Sure they made the postseason in 2021, but they didn’t really compete that greatly and even ended up exiting in the Wild Card round.
If the Patriots and Belichick agree to part ways or the team allows the head coach to seek a trade, though, many teams will surely be interested in him. After all, this is one of the winningest head coaches and the most successful Super Bowl coach we’re talking about.
It will be easy to pin part of the blame over Belichick’s lack of success in the past couple of years to the Patriots’ inability to build a title-contending roster. For those teams who feel they have the right pieces and just need a coach to guide them, Belichick could very well be that guy.
The Los Angeles Chargers have been already linked with Belichick, and so are the Las Vegas Raiders. With that said, Belichick isn’t expected to be jobless for long even if his time with the Pats comes to an end in the 2024 offseason.
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