The New England Patriots have parted ways with head coach Bill Belichick after 24 seasons. Belichick is the winningest coach in franchise history and trails only legendary Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula for the highest number of career wins.
Belichick led the Patriots to an NFL-record six Super Bowl victories in ten appearances, nine AFC titles, and 17 division championships. The Patriots’ 4-13 record in 2023 and missing playoff appearances in three of the last four seasons doomed Belichick’s future with the team.
“Robert and I, after a series of discussions, have mutually agreed to part ways. For me, this is a day of gratitude and celebration,” Belichick said in his farewell press conference Thursday. “It’s exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations, the amount of success.”
“I will always be a Patriot,” Belichick added.
Team owner thanked Belichick for his years of dedication to the team and quipped that he would always support his former coach, except “when playing our beloved Patriots.”
Belichick joined the New England Patriots in an odd fashion. After agreeing to assume the head coach job with the New York Jets, he announced his resignation in shocking fashion before ever officially assuming duties. Speculation has swirled ever since that fateful day in 2000 about whether Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft schemed behind the scenes to make the switch, but the outcome is undeniable. The Patriots built a legendary legacy under Belichick while the Jets continued floundering.
Belichick’s legacy will always be tied to legendary quarterback Tom Brady, a sixth-round pick who took over starting QB duties in his second year with the team after Drew Bledsoe suffered a torn artery on a hit by a Jets linebacker in the second game of the season. Brady would go on to lead the Patriots to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory that season.
Brady and Belichick went on to team up for an unprecedented record in the postseason. In 20 years, the Patriots recorded a 30-12 record and made the playoffs in 19 seasons. The only Brady-era Patriots team that did not make the playoffs was in 2008 when Brady was lost for the season with a knee injury.
Since Brady departed following the 2019 season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Patriots have struggled to find consistency at quarterback, have seen significant coaching staff turnover, and have not found the kind of success that the organization and fans expect.
Belichick said he intends to be a head coach for the 2024 season but has not announced any particular jobs he is interested in investigating. Vacancies in Seattle, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and several other teams all offer significant upsides and downsides.
Belichick’s departure from the Patriots comes just one day after his long-time friend and former coach Nick Saban retired from Alabama after one of the most successful coaching careers in college football history.
