Bill Belichick’s 24-year run as New England Patriots head coach has come to an end after he and owner Robert Kraft have reportedly decided to part ways. This ends months of speculation about his future with the franchise.
The Patriots did play well in the final weeks, with road wins against two teams in the playoff chase, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos. New England was also competitive in losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. Belichick ended his time in New England with a home loss against the New York Jets to finish 4-13 in his final season.
Belichick’s record with New England was 266-121 in the regular season and 30-12 in the playoffs.
Why Did the Patriots and Bill Belichick Part Ways?
The decision to move on from the future Hall of Fame coach seemed to have been building for the last couple of years as the Patriots got further removed from the Super Bowl glory days. New England had a losing record in three of the last four seasons after 19 straight winning seasons.
Belichick was also the team’s de facto general manager, yet the level of talent on the team has been questioned more than his coaching.
The obvious hole on the roster is the one that opened when Tom Brady left after the 2019 season. New England had Cam Newton as a starter for the 2020 season before drafting Mac Jones in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jones started all 17 games in 2021, and the Patriots entered Week 18 with a chance to win the AFC East. They finished with a 10-7 record and had to settle for a Wild Card. It was still considered a successful rookie season for Jones, and it appeared that the Patriots had found a starting quarterback to build around.
However, in 2022, Jones was unable to show great improvement in his second season, and the Patriots lost three of the last four games to miss the playoffs with an 8-9 record. He threw three touchdowns and three interceptions in a Week 18 loss to the Buffalo Bills when New England needed a win to reach the postseason.
Belichick didn’t have an offensive coordinator for the 2022 season. He had former head coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge handle play-calling. Patricia, who had no experience as an offensive assistant coach, was the primary play-caller during the season. The team hired Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator for this season. He was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2011.
This season, New England got off to a 1-5 start. In six games, Jones had five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He started to lose his hold on the starting spot as the season went on and the team continued to lose.
In the second half of two consecutive games in November, Bailey Zappe took Jones’ place as the offense struggled to score. New England only scored six and seven points in those two games, which would be Jones’ last as a starter in 2023.
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There was always an obvious talent gap between the Patriots’ roster and the other three teams in the AFC East under Belichick. From 2009 to 2019, New England won 11 straight division titles, but the gap was closing as the Bills started to build a team that could contend for a Super Bowl.
By 2023, the other teams in the division would have more talented rosters. This was more the result of Belichick’s performance as general manager than as head coach. It seemed unlikely that Belichick would relinquish his role as GM, creating speculation throughout the season that Kraft would part ways with the coach who won six Super Bowls.
Belichick’s Record With the Patriots
Belichick’s time with the Patriots will be what all future NFL dynasties will be judged against. He led the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships in nine appearances, 17 AFC East titles, 18 seasons with at least 10 wins, and a perfect 16-0 regular season in 2007.
Under Belichick, the Patriots set the NFL record for most consecutive victories, including postseason games, with 21 in 2003 and 2004. New England also set an NFL record with 10 straight playoff wins from 2001 to 2005.
The Patriots’ consistent dominance under Belichick will stand up to the great dynasties in any sport. His nine Super Bowl appearances are three more than any other coach, and his 17 straight seasons with at least 10 wins are nine more than any other as well.
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Belichick and Brady will forever be tied together as the two people who led the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles.
They have the most wins as a quarterback-head coach tandem, with 219 in the regular season and 30 in the playoffs. The next highest number of regular-season wins by a quarterback and head coach is Don Shula and Dan Marino (116). Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw won 14 playoff games together with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Belichick is 47-57 with New England in the regular season when Brady did not start. Brady’s record with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meanwhile, was 32-18 in the regular season with one Super Bowl title.
Belichick’s Coaching Timeline
Belichick just completed his 29th season as an NFL head coach and his 49th overall as an NFL coach. He was the defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells for two Super Bowl championships with the New York Giants in 1986 and 1990. Belichick was also on Parcells’ staff with the Patriots when the team reached the Super Bowl after the 1996 season.
Belichick’s first NFL head coaching job was with the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to 1995. He had a 36-44 record with one playoff appearance and was fired after five seasons.
Belichick is expected to be a head coach again as he chases Don Shula’s all-time record for wins. He is 14 wins behind Shula’s record and would likely need two seasons to break the record. Belichick will be 72 when next season starts.
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