New England Patriots
- The 71-year-old was the most successful head coach of this century
- New England plummeted to a 4-13 record in 2023
- The Patriots plan a press conference for 12 p.m. ET
Bill Belichick, who led the New England Patriots to a record six Super Bowl titles, will leave the team on Thursday after 24 seasons, according to ESPN.
Speculation about Belichick's future has been rife for some time after the Patriots slumped to a 4-13 record in 2023, their worst season during his time with the team.
ESPN reports that discussions between Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft about the coach's future took place this week and were cordial. They ended with Belichick and the team parting ways. New England has scheduled a press conference for 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, where the news is expected to be confirmed.
The 71-year-old is one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history and, in terms of Super Bowl titles, the most successful. But since Tom Brady left the team in 2020, the Patriots had just had a winning season, made the playoffs once and were struggling to find a replacement at quarterback.
Belichick has not indicated he intends to retire. He has been linked to vacant head coaching positions with the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers.
Two former Patriots linebackers, Jerod Mayo and Mike Vrabel, are the leading candidates to replace Belichick. Mayo spent time on Belichick's staff with the Patriots, while Vrabel left his role as head coach of the Tennessee Titans earlier this week.
News of Belichick's reported departure comes a day after two of his head coach contemporaries, Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks and Nick Saban of the Alabama college football program, left their roles.
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