Flash back to January 4, 2000.
That’s when history in New York and New England was forever changed.
That was the date, 24 years ago, almost to the day, when Bill Belichick was supposed to be introduced as the head coach of the New York Jets.
Only, Belichick took a U-turn and flipped that press conference upside down on a day no one will ever forget in the Big Apple and beyond.
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Instead of talking about his vision for the franchise, Belichick scribbled on a piece of paper — maybe even a napkin — that he was resigning as the “HC of the NYJ,” handed the sheet to the team’s higher-ups, held a press conference, and that was the end of a bizarre tale.
He was the head coach of the Jets for what amounted to 24 hours after serving as the team’s defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells. The tabloids naturally had a field day, with the back page of the New York Post featuring the headline: “Belichicken.”
The story, however, was far from over.
After Belichick flew the coop, Patriots owner Robert Kraft swooped in, and 23 days later, finalized a deal where the Jets traded the rights to their “head coach” to New England for a 2000 first-round pick, along with late-round swaps.
Who knew that would go down one of the greatest trades of all time, if not the greatest.
More than two decades later, however, it looks like Kraft’s coup is about to come full circle.
With six championships in his back pocket, and the Jets in town for the 2023 season finale, Belichick and the Patriots are at a crossroads. For the first time, his future in New England is uncertain. With Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft expected to meet Monday to discuss the plan going forward, it’s possible this could be the Hoodie’s swan song at the helm of the Patriots.
Belichick might be on his way out as “HC of the NEP” – without the benefit of a handwritten note.
Call it karma, call it fate. Perhaps it’s even a bit poetic this could be Belichick’s final game coaching the Patriots given the history between the teams.
There’s no team Belichick loathes more than the Jets. It’s also possible there’s no coach the Jets loathe more than Belichick, who has beaten them 15 straight times.
To this point, Kraft hasn’t uttered a peep about his plans for the head coach. Speculation, however, has run rampant in recent weeks, with one report suggesting the decision to part with Belichick was made after the loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.
Other reports suggest Kraft may be getting cold feet, although in recent days, it seems more likely that the two sides will split. On Thursday, a report in the Boston Herald detailed eye-opening dysfunction in the coaching ranks with all avenues pointing back to Belichick.
Perhaps that was the last, of so many final straws.
Still, it’s not easy to cut ties with the coach who helped bring so much joy and success to the franchise.
Belichick has won 270 regular season games, and 30 playoff games over the course of 24 seasons. He is 16 wins away from tying Don Shula’s all-time mark.
Of late, however, the losses have piled up at an alarming rate. Since Tom Brady’s departure, Belichick is 29-38 (including the playoffs) since No. 12 left the building.
While Belichick can still draw up the Xs and O’s to neutralize most opposing quarterbacks, he’s lost his touch when it comes to the draft and putting together the right personnel and coaching staff for a winning football team.
More to the point, a winning offense.
In a perfect world, the Patriots would have rebounded from the loss of Brady by now, and been on their way to more glory. Belichick would have already seized Shula’s record, and walked off into the sunset when the time felt right, with more Lombardi Trophies on the shelf.
Reality is another story.
At the moment, this doesn’t feel like a happy ending. It feels a lot like Tom Landry’s final days in Dallas.
The Cowboys coach had spent 29 years at the helm. He had 20 winning seasons. Two Super Bowl titles. But Landry was ultimately fired after going 3-13 in 1988, which stood as the worst record in the league. That year also marked the Cowboys third consecutive losing season and the fourth time in five years they had missed the playoffs.
He vowed to make the team great again, but didn’t get the chance. With a year left on his contract, he was fired by new owner Jerry Jones.
Belichick also reportedly has a year left in a deal that reportedly pays him $25 million annually. the Patriots don’t have a new owner, but they do have one that hates to lose.
“Look, I think Bill is exceptional at what he does,” Kraft said during the owners meetings in March. “I’ve given him the freedom to make the choices and do the things that need to be done. His football intellect and knowledge is unparalleled from what I’ve seen.
“But in the end, this is a business. You either execute and win or you don’t. That’s where we’re at.”
While Kraft would probably like to avoid “firing” the coach that brought six championships and as many duck boat parades to New England, it just might have to come to that.
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