Bill Belichick leaving Patriots after 24 seasons, six titles
Bill Belichick will no longer serve as New England Patriots coach after a remarkable 24 seasons, saying Thursday that "we're going to move on" while also looking back fondly at his unmatched run in NFL history that included six Super Bowl titles. Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft spent a good part of this week periodically meeting and discussing how each side wanted to proceed. From sources familiar with those conversations, there was said to be no conflict, no disagreement, and in the end, productive talks resulted in a mutual decision that left both sides comfortable and at ease.
Belichick, who had one year remaining on his contract, will be allowed to leave the team without the Patriots seeking compensation. He will want to continue coaching and is expected to draw interest from at least some of the other seven NFL teams that have head-coaching vacancies, quite possibly the Atlanta Falcons, league sources said. "It'll be difficult to see him in a cutoff hoodie on the sideline, but I'll always wish him continued success, expect when it's against the beloved Patriots," said Kraft, who is expected to speak to reporters again Thursday.
Belichick, 71, leaves New England with 333 career victories (including playoffs), ranking second all time behind Don Shula and his 347. Belichick, George Halas and Curly Lambeau are the only NFL coaches with six championships since the league began postseason play in 1933. Belichick's 24-year tenure was the fifth-longest of any head coach with one team. He had completed his 49th consecutive NFL season in 2023, the most consecutive coaching seasons in league history. He is now looking to spend season No. 50 with another NFL franchise.
Belichick's résumé also includes these marks that are expected to stand for the foreseeable future:
• 17 division titles, the most by a head coach in NFL history, with Shula, Andy Reid and Tom Landry tied for second with 13.
• Nine conference championships, the most by a head coach in the Super Bowl era.
• 12 Super Bowl appearances (including his time as an assistant).
• 21 winning seasons as a head coach, which trails only Halas (40), Shula (33), Lambeau (33) and Landry (29). • One of four undefeated and untied regular seasons in NFL history (2007). It was the only one under the 16-game schedule played from 1978 to 2020.
Bill Belichick's Patriots legacy: The NFL's greatest dynasty
We've closed the book on the greatest dynasty in the history of the NFL. The Patriots and coach Bill Belichick are expected to part ways Thursday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss, ending a tenure that lasted nearly a quarter of a century. In an era in which the league's rules are designed to produce parity and short-term success, Belichick's New England teams went 266-121 and made it to nine Super Bowls, winning six. They had a stretch of 17 division championships in 19 seasons. We might never see another NFL coach put together a two-decade spell like his again.
Bill Belichick Officially Out as Coach of New England Patriots, Says Goodbye: ‘I'll Always Be a Patriot’
Bill Belichick said his goodbyes to the New England Patriots franchise on Thursday, marking the end of the most successful coaching tenures in NFL history. Belichick, 71, told reporters at a departing press conference that “this is a day of gratitude and celebration." “I’ll always be a Patriot,” he said. The longtime Patriots coach holds the record for most Super Bowl victories and appearances by a head coach, as well as the most conference and division titles. All came during Belichick’s 24-year tenure with the team, the fifth longest coaching tenure in NFL history. He is now free to join another NFL franchise as its next head coach. "I look forward to coming back here," Belichick said, adding, “I’ll always have those great memories. I’ll carry those with me the rest of my life.”
jerod mayo hired to replace bill belichick as patriots coach
Mayo becomes the first Black head coach in Patriots history. A linebacker for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015 after being selected in the first round of the draft out of Tennessee, Mayo joined Belichick's coaching staff in 2019, serving as linebackers coach.
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As a player, Mayo was named team captain in his second season, with some players referring to him as Bill Jr. because they viewed him as a future coach who spent countless hours at the team facility, like Belichick himself.
Jerod Mayo hired to replace Bill Belichick as Patriots coach
Mayo becomes the first Black head coach in Patriots history. Moving swiftly one day after parting ways with legendary coach Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots hired Jerod Mayo as his successor and the 15th head coach in franchise history, the team announced Friday. Mayo, 37, is set to be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday. He will be the youngest coach in the NFL, taking over a title that Sean McVay has held since being named Los Angeles Rams coach in 2017; Mayo is a month younger than McVay.
The Patriots were able to forgo the standard NFL hiring process and immediately hire Mayo because they established a succession plan in the contract extension he signed last offseason, similar to what the Baltimore Ravens did with their general manager position when Eric DeCosta succeeded Ozzie Newsome in 2019. As a player, Mayo was named team captain in his second season, with some players referring to him as Bill Jr. because they viewed him as a future coach who spent countless hours at the team facility, like Belichick himself.
Mayo spent his entire playing career in New England, appearing in 103 games and totaling 905 tackles. He led the team in tackles each of his first five seasons and became just the second Patriots player to win the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. He was part of one Super Bowl championship team, in 2014, although limited to six games that season because of a leg injury. Upon his retirement after the 2015 season, Mayo worked in finance for Optum, a health care services provider. He has cited how that experience, coupled with working under Belichick, set him up to one day become a head coach.
Jerry Jones' disgusted reaction hints Cowboys will fire Mike McCarthy, hire Bill Belichick
The Dallas Cowboys had everything in front of them. A minimum of two home playoff games after surging to the No. 2 seed. Avoiding the 49ers until the NFC Championship Game. A favorable draw against a hot, but overachieving Packers teamthat fields the youngest roster in the NFL. Despite all of that, Mike McCarthy's team wet the bed to the highest extreme. There's obviously a ton of blame to go around. Dan Quinn should be near the top of the list after his defense got absolutely worked against Jordan Love and a bunch of first- and second-year receivers. and Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb picked the wrong time to have their worst games of the season. McCarthy has to top the list, though. The Cowboys unraveled after they fell down 14-0 early in the second quarter and McCarthy curled up into a shell as a play-caller at the first sight of adversity. Again. We hate -- absolutely hate -- to call for someone to lose their job, but Sunday should be McCarthy's final game as Cowboys head coach. If Jerry Jones had any sense, held already have Billchick on the phonediscussing a contract.
Bill Belichick's Top Landing Spots After Cowboys Retain HC Mike McCarthy for 2024
So much for Bill Belichick being the person to end the Dallas Cowboys' decades-long Super Bowl drought. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday the Cowboys will keep head coach Mike McCarthy for the 2024 NFL season, and team owner Jerry Jones confirmed the move: Many fans thought McCarthy might be out the door following Dallas' disastrous showing in the NFC Wild Card Round. Belichick was then floated as a natural replacement given his past track record.
Instead, the vacancy won't be opening at all. Belichick at least has other options, some more attractive than others. Based on what's available, these franchises have the most to offer the 71-year-old.
bill belichick to have second interview with falcons this weekend
The second interview comes after Belichick met one on one with Falcons owner Arthur Blank earlier this week, which was the future Hall of Fame coach's first interview after spending the past 24 seasons in New England. The Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith after three consecutive 7-10 seasons, missing the postseason each time.
falcons complete second interview with bill belichick
Belichick has coached in the third-most games all time, with 467, behind Shula (490) and Halas (497) and is also tied with Dan Reeves and Jeff Fisher for the most losses by a NFL head coach, with 165. He holds a 302-165 regular-season record and a 31-13 playoff record -- eight wins better than Andy Reid, in second place with 23.
Falcons hire Rams Raheem Morris as head coach, pass on Belichick
The Falcons are going back to their past to try to solidify their future. Atlanta hired Raheem Morris as its coach on Thursday, making him the first former NFL head coach owner Arthur Blank has hired in his 20-plus-year tenure. He's also the first full-time Black head coach in the franchise's history. Morris' hire comes after an extensive search that featured 14 candidates, including former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, ex-Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who was hired Wednesday by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Morris was one of four coaches who had second interviews with the club. The others were Belichick, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. The Falcons are the only team Belichick is known to have interviewed with -- and they've decided to go in another direction. This marks a return to Flowery Branch, Georgia, for Morris, who was Atlanta's interim coach for 11 games in 2020 after it fired Dan Quinn midway through the season. Morris went 4-7 but was not given the full-time job. Instead, the Falcons hired Arthur Smith.
Cowboys' Jerry Jones: 'No doubt' I could work with Bill Belichick
It appears Bill Belichick won't be a head coach in the NFL next season. But if the Dallas Cowboys decide to move on from Mike McCarthy after next season, could Jerry Jones' team be an option for the future Hall of Fame coach? Talking to Yahoo Sportsat the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, the Cowboys owner and general manager said there's "no doubt" he could work with the former New England Patriots coach, whom he calls a "friend." "I know him personally and I like him," Jones told Yahoo. "There's no doubt in my mind we could work together. None."
Belichick, who mutually parted ways with the Patriots after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles, had only two interviews during this year's cycle -- both with the Atlanta Falcons, who decided to hire Raheem Morris for the job instead. Four other head-coaching jobs have been filled with only two current vacancies -- with the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks and neither team has been reported to be linked with Belichick, 71. Belichick left New England with 333 career victories (including playoffs), second all time behind Don Shula's 347. Belichick has expressed his admiration for Jones and the Cowboys organization in the past. Jones, 81, on Tuesday told Yahoo that Belichick is "maybe at the top of his profession" but called it "ridiculous" that "one person automatically assures you a Super Bowl."
The Cowboys have won three Super Bowl titles under Jones' ownership but haven't advanced to the NFC Championship Game since 1995, the second-longest drought in the conference behind only Washington (1991).
Bill Belichick thanks Patriots fans for their 'passion, power'
Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick wrote a heartfelt thank-you letter to fans that appeared in The Boston Globe on Sunday. The Patriots and Belichick mutually parted ways after 24 seasons on Jan. 11. When Belichick and owner Robert Kraft stood together to announce the decision, Belichick had referenced how much the team's fans had meant to him, which he put into writing in his full-page advertisement. The letter was written "To Patriots fans everywhere," had a blue background, included a picture of Belichick from one of the team's six Super Bowl championship parades and ran on Page A3 of the newspaper.
Belichick, 71, had interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons' head-coaching job that went to Raheem Morris. With every head-coaching job filled, if Belichick doesn't take an assistant coaching job, 2024 will be the first season since his senior year of college in 1974-75 that he will not be coaching in the NFL in any capacity. Belichick's impact in New England has also been reflected by billboards across the region thanking him. Belichick concluded by writing in all capital letters "THANK YOU ALL," then "with respect and admiration" and his signature.
tom brady 'surprised' bill belichick didn't get nfl hc job
If Belichick doesn't take a job as an assistant coach, next season will be the first time since 1975 that he will not be coaching in the NFL. The last two head-coaching vacancies were filled last week when the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders hired Mike Macdonald and Dan Quinn, respectively.
brian belichick staying with patriots, sources say, as staff takes shape
In his role as safeties coach the past four seasons, Brian Belichick worked closely with Jerod Mayo, the linebackers coach who was tapped by owner Robert Kraft as his father's successor. This will be Brian Belichick's ninth year with the Patriots.
Jerod Mayo: No shots at Belichick as Patriots shift styles
New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo attempted to clarify rhetoric about the organization's vision for the future, saying recent comments by him and director of scouting Eliot Wolf were not a shot at Bill Belichick. Wolf told reporters Tuesday that the Patriots are looking to move foward with an "open, kind of less hard-ass type vibe in the building." Mayo, who played and coached under Belichick, acknowledged those differences Wednesday but also praised the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach. The Patriots parted ways with Belichick in January after 24 seasons. The team had regressed each of the past two seasons in posting 8-9 and 4-13 records.
Robert Kraft reportedly warned Falcons 'not to trust' Bill Belichick
The Atlanta Falcons decision to pass on Bill Belichick during the coach hiring cycle came as a surprise to many, but his former employer might have played a hand in preventing him from getting the job. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told Falcons owner Arthur Blank that if he were to hire his former head coach, he was "not to trust Bill," ESPN reported. Kraft also told Blank that he'd "never have a warm conversation" with Belichick as he felt "betrayed" by the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach over the final seasons of his 24-year tenure with the Patriots, according to ESPN. Additionally, Kraft believed that Belichick was "extremely difficult" to work with and that the coach was "kind of stubborn" in addition to being "very arrogant" as he viewed the coach was "not worthy of his trust," according to ESPN. "Robert steadfastly denies saying anything negative to Arthur Blank about Bill Belichick after Robert and Bill mutually agreed to part ways," James told ESPN. "In fact, Robert advocated for Bill to get the job."
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(691x211:693x213):format(webp)/Bill-Belichick-patriots-retire-011124-tout--1d0945e89d9048e5a120c5cf69e34a7e.jpg "Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots speaks to the media during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on January 11, 2024")