With the NFL preparing for what promises to be an exciting postseason, news has surfaced that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots will be parting ways after 24 seasons together, a historic run that included six Super Bowl championships. While in town, Belichick’s Patriots won 68.7% of their regular-season games and 17 divisional titles.
NFL World Reacts to Bill Belichick’s Career In New England Ending
Spin the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick debate however you’d like, but there is no denying that this run has been nothing short of historic. Members of the NFL circle wasted no time in reacting to this major news:
The conversations between Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick were all kept very professional and also very quiet after 24 years together, per sources. While it wasn't the perfect ending, they decided it was best to go in different directions.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 11, 2024
The Patriots have suffered consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1989-93 and will look to rebuild. That process starts with them owning the third overall selection for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Most head coaching wins all-time
(incl. playoffs)Don Shula 347
Bill Belichick 333
George Halas 324
Andy Reid 279
Tom Landry 270 pic.twitter.com/CtIjwcMmCt— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 11, 2024
No team in the NFL won 14 games this season, making the 2025 campaign a decent project as to when Belichick could make history.
MORE: NFL Black Monday Tracker 2024
Life in the AFC East doesn’t figure to be easy any time soon for the incoming head coach — the division had two of the top six scoring offenses this season and the other has a Hall of Fame quarterback that is on the mend.
Bill Belichick just had greatest run for any head coach in NFL History.
In a total of 24 seasons, the Patriots won 17 AFC East titles, reached 9 Super Bowls and won 6 of them. All during an era in which the league was set up for turnover and parity, as was the case for nearly…
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 11, 2024
Unprecedented stability in New England for over two decades, but now what? Will the franchise be able to adjust, something they haven’t been asked to do in a long time?
The run in New England has come to an end, but this is unlikely to be the last we hear from The Hoodie:
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
The Falcons are an interesting option, having moved on from Arthur Smith but with a reasonable foundation as a result of six straight losing seasons.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!