New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick already finds himself on the NFL coaching hot seat ahead of Week 15. Amid swirling rumors that the future Hall of Famer will be among the NFL coaches fired after Week 18, it appears a favorite is already emerging to replace him.
Belichick has already cemented his status as the best head coach in NFL history. However, the architect of a franchise that won six Super Bowls has fallen out of favor in New England. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of results in recent years, putting Belichick on the hot seat.
- Bill Belichick coaching record: 265-118 (.692) with New England Patriots
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While many NFL head coaches retired long before they turned 71 years old, Belichick has given no indication he wants to walk away from football. Amid growing calls for a change at head coach and general manager, the Patriots’ organization is leaning towards parting ways with Belichick at the end of the season.
While New England will conduct an exhaustive coaching search if it ultimately decides to move on from Belichick, there does appear to be a strong favorite to take over in 2024.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports that people inside the Patriots’ organization and those familiar with the franchise’s thinking believe the “most likely outcome” is Jerod Mayo taking over as head coach in 2024.
When the Patriots signed Mayo to a contract extension last offseason, securing his commitment amid interest in head-coaching vacancies, New England took the unprecedented move of announcing Mayo’s extension. The franchise also seemingly started preparing Mayo for head-coaching duties this year.
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However, Graziano also notes that some inside the Patriots facilities are “no longer certain” that Kraft will promote Mayo to head coach. For that to happen, Mayo would need to sell Kraft on the coaches he’ll hire to run the offense, work with the quarterback’s development and assist with personnel.
As for a potential Patriots’ general manager, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported on Sunday that Kraft was at the NFL’s annual Office & General Manager Accelerator program, meeting with up-and-coming executives around football.
If the Patriots part ways with Belichick, the expectation is that Kraft will hire a head coach and general manager rather than give his next head coach full control over the roster. However, input on the roster could be what helps New England entice Mike Vrabel to leave the Tennessee Titans for a potential Patriots’ vacancy.