Getty New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
The New England Patriots’ 2022 season came to an end in Week 18 and owner Robert Kraft is “not pleased,” according to a Patriots insider who said that Bill Belichick could be on the hot seat.
After the Patriots’ 35-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills on January 8, Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald wrote that if Belichick doesn’t follow the wishes of Kraft, the head coach could be headed elsewhere.
“He’s not pleased, and hasn’t been happy with how the offense has performed all season, but most notably how [quarterback Mac] Jones has regressed from his rookie season,” Guregian wrote. “That’s been reported in recent weeks, and also confirmed by Herald sources. The question now is what comes about as a result of that displeasure.
“Is Belichick safe? The feeling here is yes, as long as he’s willing to make the necessary changes to fix what’s broke,” she added. “If Belichick isn’t willing to bring in competent offensive coaches for Jones, and not move on from Patricia and Judge, it might come down to a who-blinks-first contest. The guess here is it won’t be Kraft.”
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Wasn’t Happy Entering the 2022 Season
At the 2022 NFL annual meeting in March, Kraft said that he wasn’t happy about the fact that New England had not won a playoff game in three straight seasons.
“I’m a Patriot fan, big time, first. More than anything, it bothers me that we haven’t been able to win a playoff game in the last three years,” Kraft said. “After my family, there’s nothing more important to me than the New England Patriots and winning football games. That’s my passion, so whatever I can do — hopefully in a small way to make that happen — I’m there. I’m not happy that we haven’t won a playoff game in three years. I think about that a lot.”
With New England’s defeat to the Bills in Week 18, the drought of playoff wins has extended to four straight years. The Patriots’ last postseason win was their 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 Super Bowl.
New England Patriots Quarterback Mac Jones Wasn’t Happy, Either
Though the Patriots ended up losing in Week 18 and missing the playoffs, it wasn’t because of Jones’ play. The quarterback had one of his best performances of the season, throwing for 243 yards and 3 touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. The problem is he also threw 3 interceptions.
Jones recognized that he and the team needed to perform better.
“Obviously, you look at each year and you want to get better as a player. I did and learned a lot, and I think a lot of guys on the team learned a lot,” Jones said. “But it wasn’t the progress any of us wanted to make. It starts with me. We have to play better toward the end of the season, win these games to move on. That’s how every season is going to be in the NFL.
“You want to win every game you play in,” he added. “You want to win the tough ones. We didn’t get a chance to do that,” he added. “As the quarterback, I put the blame on me; it’s my offense and my group of guys and we have to put a better product out there.”