The Bill Belichick era is over.
On Thursday, according to the NFL Network, the Patriots team owner Robert Kraft and Belichick have mutually agreed to part ways. Belichick will step down as the head coach and general manager of the Patriots while Kraft now turns his attention to finding a successor. This news puts a bookend to one of sports’ all-time great dynasties that spanned two decades and brought six Super Bowl championships to the region.
This news comes after a disappointing 4-13 season. Since Tom Brady left, in 2020, the Patriots finished with a losing record in three of the last four seasons. This past year particularly was painful as the Patriots offense looked woefully undermanned and inept compared to a stout defensive unit. In the end, the responsibility fell on Belichick, who put this team together.
The Patriots coach met with Kraft this week to discuss what went wrong this past fall. Belichick was expected to make a pitch to try and stay with the Patriots. There were multiple meetings this week, but it ended with the pair agreeing that a break was best for both parties. According to a source, Kraft had thought about moving on from Belichick at multiple points during this past season.
Belichick leaves with one year remaining on his contract and is expected to want to coach again. For the Patriots, attention now turns to Kraft. The Patriots owner embarks on one of his most pivotal offseasons where he’ll hire the successor to Belichick, who many argue is the greatest head coach in NFL history. Since Belichick was also the general manager of the Patriots, Kraft will also look to find somebody new to run his front office.
Belichick’s time in New England was historic. After 24 seasons, he leaves as the only coach to have won six Super Bowl championships. Belichick finishes with a 386-266 (.689) record.
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Not only did he bring the first Super Bowl championship in Patriots history, but as the chief executive and head coach, Belichick was the architect of one of the greatest runs in sports history. After being hired in 2000, the Patriots won their first title the next season in a stunning upset over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
At the time, the Rams’ offense, dubbed ‘The Greatest Show on Turf,’ was averaging 31 points per game. The Patriots defense held that group to 17 points and won on a last-second field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri. That year also marked a turning point for the franchise as Belichick opted to stick with young quarterback Tom Brady over starter Drew Bledsoe, who suffered internal injuries in a game over the Jets.
At the time, Bledsoe was the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. Belichick’s decision to stick with Brady was initially controversial, but that started one of the most dominant runs in NFL history.
Belichick’s teams won three Super Bowls in his first five seasons in New England. In 2003, the Patriots set a then franchise record for wins finishing 14-2. Belichick won NFL Coach of the Year honors as the Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
The next year, in 2004, the Patriots did it again. Belichick’s team finished 14-2 and beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Patriots became the second team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in four years. Belichick became the only head coach to accomplish this feat as the Cowboys won three of four Super Bowls with two different head coaches.
After winning his third Super Bowl in New England, Belichick’s Patriots teams were routinely at the top of the NFL but went 10 seasons before winning another title. In that era, 2005-2013, the Patriots had historic success. In 2007, after acquiring receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker, the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season. The Patriots were then upset by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
Belichick’s Patriots team got back to the Super Bowl in the 2011 NFL season, but once again fell to the Giants in the Super Bowl XLII.
The second half of the Patriots dynasty, from 2014-2019, once again found unparalleled success. The 2014 season brought Belichick’s fourth title as the Patriots head coach when they beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. Two years later, in 2016, Belichick’s Patriots team rallied from down 28-3 to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. That marked the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.
The Patriots got back to the championship game the next season but lost to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII. In 2018, Belichick won his sixth Super Bowl title as the Patriots head coach when his team beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. His sixth championship tied George Halas and Curly Lambeau for most championships as a head coach.
Belichick’s time in New England wasn’t without controversy.
In 2007, the Patriots were caught up in the ‘Spygate’ controversy where NFL security caught a Patriots video assistant taking the Jets defensive signals on the sideline. That led to an NFL investigation and the league fined Belichick $500,000, which was the largest fine for a head coach in league history. The Patriots were fined an additional $250,000 and the team also lost their first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
In 2014, the Patriots dealt with the ‘Deflategate’ controversy, where footballs were underinflated during the first half of their matchup with the Colts in the AFC Championship game. Although the NFL found Belichick innocent, Brady was suspended for four games, the Patriots were fined $1 million and lost their 2016 first-round pick.
In 2020, the Patriots were also fined $1.1 million by the NFL after a staff member videotaped the Bengals sideline. The team also lost a 2021 third-round pick.
In the end, Belichick brought unrivaled success to New England and was the architect of one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. From 2000-2019, the Patriots won 74% of their games (267-94). That marked the highest winning percentage of any major American professional sports team over that period.
Belichick leaves New England with the second-most wins among NFL head coaches behind Don Shula (347). His six Super Bowls are the most by a head coach in NFL history. His 31 playoff wins are also an NFL record.
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