Getty Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots could be headed for a "mutual" decision about his future.
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are headed for “a mutual parting of the ways at the end of the season.” At least that’s the sense Dianna Russini of The Athletic gets from “talking to those who have spent time around the Patriots organization and understand the dynamics between team owner Robert Kraft and Belichick.”
Russini doesn’t “expect anything to be determined with so much season remaining.” That would mean Belichick surviving until the end of the season, despite speculation he could be let go if the Pats lose to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany in Week 10.
Regardless of the timing, it’s beginning to look like an inevitability Belichick won’t be coaching the Patriots beyond this season. Showing the six-time Super Bowl winner the door would afford a franchise stuck in the past the chance for a much-needed reset.
Replacing Belichick would be far from easy, though. Especially since he’s been equally responsible for assembling rosters as coaching players.
Patriots Need Joint Action to Replace Belichick
Belichick’s unchallenged status as chief of all team affairs means the Patriots would need joint action to replace him. Specifically, ownership must identify a general manager able to take the reins in the front office, then find the right bright young thing to be head coach.
That’s a lot of work for owner Robert Kraft, but a change at both ends of the team-building process is necessary. The Patriots have long been built to Belichick’s specifications and philosophy.
It’s meant a defense-heavy team, with an emphasis on special teams, but only functional attention paid to interchangeable skills players on offense. This is a time-worn recipe for building a team that’s hard to beat, but the magic is gone.
Belichick had enough magic to complement and offset his own cautious tendencies when Tom Brady played quarterback. Things have nosedived since Brady left town in 2020.
The stark difference between Belichick’s success with and without Brady was summed up by these numbers from CBS Sports prior to the season.
Bill Belichick’s record with/without Tom Brady (including playoffs)
w/ Brady w/o Brady
W-L 249-75 80-90
Now that Belichick is 82-97 without TB12, it’s only natural the coach’s future is being questioned. If Belichick leaves, so goes the whole way this franchise has done things for nearly a quarter of a century.
Bill Belichick’s ‘Patriot Way’ Needs Overhaul
The so-called ‘Patriot Way’ has been the slogan of Belichick’s decorated tenure. Some, including former Patriots defensive end Chris Long, question what the phrase actually means in real terms.
Any overarching philosophy would end without Belichick around to make decisions. It’s one reason why former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III thinks Belichick deserves more time.
Speaking on an edition of ESPN’s Get Up, RG3 said Belichick’s “earned the right to just not finish the season, but also to fix the problems he’s actually created.”
“If Bill Belichick gets fired or resigns after this year or in the future, the ‘Patriot Way’ dies with him.”
Taking Griffin’s advice could be counterintuitive. Letting Belichick fix problems he’s already caused is likely to lead to more problems.
The Patriots need a fresh voice somewhere, at least in the front office, if not on the sideline. Provided Belichick would be open to foregoing GM duties.
Even if Belichick was receptive, Russini’s colleague Chad Graff noted the lack of in-house options to take over personnel matters: “Director of player personnel Matt Groh, 42, is the team’s highest-ranking official in the personnel department (besides Belichick), but he’s the son of Al Groh, a longtime friend and colleague of Belichick. It seems like that would make for a tough dynamic.”
If the next Patriots coach is polar opposite to Belichick, the front office needs a honcho able to design a roster suited to a different blueprint. A possible candidate to replace Belichick, like Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, will place different priorities on different positions, altering how the Pats approach free agency and the NFL draft.
All signs point to a clean break between the Patriots and Belichick. Like Russini, Graff believes Kraft sacking his coach midseason “isn’t happening,” but the owner may be forced to act sooner than he’d like if things turn sour in Frankfurt and beyond.