Many New England Patriots fans were skeptical of reports that assured that a mutual agreement had been agreed upon between Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick. What is clear now is that there is no clarity in this developing situation.
Since Tom Curan reported that he had heard of conversations regarding Coach Belichick’s departure, many were critical of the timing of the reports, and the wording that was used in the report itself. With some recent backtracking, the most recents news from Ian Rapoport appears to confirm that everything remains up in the air until at least the end of the season.
New England Patriots Latest Reports
Ian Rapoport had the following to offer regarding the New England Patriots head coach:
The fate of Bill Belichick as head coach of the New England Patriots has not yet been decided. While the expectation is that a decision on his future will play out over the next month, sources also say it could take longer than that.
The NFL insider is making it clear that any past sentiments of wanting to move on have appeared to cool down since the week 10 matchup in Germany. With Tom Curan probably not making up a story of this nature, his initial statement likely had some legitimate basis. But what would have happened since then to change minds? And why was this considered in the first place?
New England Patriots Season
During the offseason, Robert Kraft issued a letter to season ticket holders, insisting that the team was close to turning the corner, and that winning football was close to reappearing in Foxboro. Unfortunately for the New England Patriots, it has been a frustrating season of losing close games, while also appearing miles away from fielding a competent offense.
To add to the inner dismay, Kraft made it very clear that the Germany game was very important to him, and that he wanted for the New England Patriots to have a good representation of themselves. Of course, now we know that that is not how events unfolded, as Mac Jones made another questionable decision. An issue that has ultimately sealed his relegation to the bench.
It is very possible that sources close to the Kraft family, or maybe even the Kraft’s themselves, made it known that the embarrassing performance was something of a final straw in the moment. Just like what we saw after the most recent blowout loss by the Chargers, for owners losing is one thing, not even looking remotely competitive is just a bridge too far.
New England Patriots Since Then
It is very possible that in the heat of the moment, Kraft wanted to move on from Coach Belichick to an offensive minded innovator. however, despite still not entering the win column until Pittsburgh, it is very possible that Kraft saw that Coach Belichick can offer what others simply can’t, even in this day and age of the NFL.
While other offensive coordinators, tuned head coaches, are seen as geniuses, an uptick of injuries has somewhat exposed the impact of coaching. Regardless of how talented your quarterback is, your team is always one hit away from being a struggling mess that will have difficulty gaining first downs.
Meanwhile this New England Patriots defense is playing well, is young, and looking like they they could carry a team on a potential playoff run, especially with Matthew Judon, and Christian Gonzalez coming back next year.
With a new starting quarterback next year, and just needing complimentary pocket presence, this team could be a dangerous team after nabbing a top prospect from the upcoming draft.
The question for Robert Kraft is, who could be brought in that has the necessary authority and would be able to install a blueprint of success within this organization? With a short list of potential interested candidates, and coaching changes leading to constant turmoil for other teams, it would not be surprising if after the regular season concludes, Coach Belichick is brought back for the 2024 season.