Patriots head coach Bill Belichick remained noncommittal about retaining that title pending his annual face-to-face meeting with franchise owner Robert Kraft this week.
“Disappointing season,” Belichick said. “For players, coaches, staffers — the entire organization.”
New England (4-13) ended the season with a dud of a 17-3 home loss to the New York Jets, gaining a total of 119 yards, the lowest offensive output of Belichick’s 24 years as Patriots’ head coach.
“I’ll address questions about the game; anything about the future, I’ll meet with Robert Kraft, like I always do,” Belichick said.
Reports of a split with the Patriots surfaced in November, and Belichick is reportedly a top candidate for the Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers if Kraft opts to change directions. Belichick won six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots and is regarded as one of the all-time legends in the profession, trailing only Don Shula (Dolphins) on the career wins list.
Belichick, 71, wouldn’t say if he wants to stay in New England and didn’t directly commit to coaching anywhere in 2024.
“I enjoy coaching,” said Belichick. “I like coaching the team, preparing the team, game-planning.”
NBC Sports indicated this week that Belichick would coach — somewhere — next season. Belichick (333 victories) might need multiple seasons to close on Shula (347).
Belichick took the Patriots to nine Super Bowls, but opinions on the value of the coach over the legendary quarterback he teamed with, Tom Brady, vary greatly.
Since Brady departed as a free agent and won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Patriots posted records of 7-9 (2020), 10-7 (2021), 8-9 (2022) and 4-13.
–Field Level Media