Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are expected to part ways Thursday after a remarkable 24 seasons together, ending an unmatched run in NFL history that included six Super Bowl titles, league sources told ESPN.
Billy B to Hot Lanta????
The coach the single handily made me no longer be a Jets fan, not really his fault, more Mark Sanchez just running into his offensive line. With rumors about Belichick’s future swirling all season, the Patriots stumbled to a 4-13 record, complete with a loss to the hated Jets in his final game, that was tied for second-worst in the league.
Not to take away from any of his accomplishments and everything that achieved during the Patriots dynasty, but as soon as Brady left New England, it was essentially the same as watching one of the hour glass with the sand in it from a board game, waiting for Bill and the Pats to go separate ways.
The Belichick Era in New England infamously began in 2000 when he quit after 24 hours as head coach of the Jets succeeding longtime mentor Bill Parcells by writing “I resign as HC of the NYJ” on a napkin. The Patriots traded a first-round pick for Belichick in what proved to be a steal and handed him control over personnel as well. Belichick’s 302 career regular-season victories – 266 of which came with the Patriots – rank third all-time behind Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318). He is second to Shula (347) when his playoff victories are added to bring the total to 333.
Bill's Full Resume:
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.
The Patriots have scheduled a news conference with Belichick and Kraft for noon ET Thursday, and it will mark the end of a remarkable era in Patriots and football history.
Belichick’s record without Brady is 84-103, including 36-44 during his five-year stint as Browns head coach (1991-95) and 29-38 with one playoff appearance since the now-retired Brady left for the Buccaneers in 2020.
There is a Latin phrase that suggests that things that come in threes are perfect or complete. It is remarkable how well we can remember the three bad things that happen and the three good things remain a distant memory. Don't dwell on the bad things of life, they come in threes.
The Seahawks forced out Pete Carroll, who, at 72, was the only active NFL head coach older than Belichick. And Nick Saban – who once was Browns defensive coordinator under Belichick – retired after winning six national championships at Alabama.