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Before the start of the 29-25 upset win over Buffalo in Foxborough on Sunday, word leaked via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that Patriots coach Bill Belichick had, during the offseason, secretly signed a contract extension with the team, one that Rapoport called, “lucrative” and “multi-year.”
Here’s what Rapoport said:
“From @NFLGameDay: This past offseason, #Patriots coach Bill Belichick quietly agreed to a lucrative multi-year new contract, sources say. That, at least, adds some context to the discussions about the greatest coach in NFL history.”
It was fitting that the news leaked out today, because in upsetting the Bills, Belichick became one of only three NFL coaches to record 300 wins, behind only George Halas and the all-time NFL wins leader, Don Shula.
But, in typical Belichick fashion, he was not exactly ebullient about reports of the contract—which, again, had been kept secret throughout the rocky start to the Patriots season and the team’s 1-5 start.
“I never talk about my contract,” Belichick said after the game. “Focus on the game, try and focus on Buffalo. Then I’ll focus on Miami. You can count on that.”
Contract & Patriots Win Had Bill Belichick in Bad News
The news of Bill Belichick’s Patriots contract did hit public light at an odd time, and why, exactly, that news came out now is a fair question. In recent weeks, there has been widespread talk about Belichick being on the “hot seat” in New England, and perhaps that this year would be his last.
It has been presumed in the media that linebackers coach Jerrod Mayo, a former Patriots star, would eventually take over for Belichick, and Mayo has been a sought-after candidate for other coaching jobs. He was signed to a two-year extension, though, keeping him in New England through the 2024 season.
The win and, perhaps, the fact that news of his contract was made public—forcing players and media who may have been doubting his staying power with the Patriots to rethink their positions—had Belichick in an especially upbeat mood.
After his steely-eyed response to the question about the contract extension, Belichick tried to lighten the spirit of the press conference room. He went to former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who now does color commentary for the team’s radio broadcasts.
“Zo, can you lob a softball out there for me or something?” Belichick said. “Got a softball, anyone? Gotta hit a single, I don’t even need to hit one out of the park.”
Alas, Zolak asked about a poor decision that resulted in a wasted timeout. “We blew a timeout on that, thank you, thank you for reminding me of that, appreciate that,” Belichick said. “Bad coaching, bad management.”
Patriots Insider Breaks Down Contract
As for the new Bill Belichick Patriots contract, which is apparently an old contract, team insider Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston tamped down some if the expectations on the deal, noting that any contract Belichick would sign would have to be lucrative, and speculating that “multiyear” could mean, simply, the current season and next season.
In other words, we can’t say that Belichick is signed beyond 2024.
“It is a lucrative, multi-year extension. So, let’s try and interrogate that,” Curran said. “My understanding is, lucrative, of course it is lucrative, it’s Bill Belichick, he makes a lot of dough. Multi-year, that simply can mean 2023 and 2024, for instance. So that extension would satisfy, in some ways, a timeline for Jerrod Mayo.
“Jerrod Mayo signed a two-year extension as a linebackers coach at the end fo last year. Robert Kraft was very open about talking about Jerrod Mayo as perhaps, one day a head coach, maybe even here. I would be stunned, I would be amazed, I would be dumbstruck if Bill Belichick’s lucrative extension ran past 2024.”
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