Let’s just take a minute to realize how wild it is that it’s come to this. While every star does fade and Bill Belichick was never going to coach forever, it’s remarkable to see how quickly the bottom has fallen out on the New England Patriots and the head coach’s tenure with the franchise. Heading into Week 10, Belichick’s team is 2-7 on the year, which is good for not only last place in the AFC East but last place in the entire conference.
This record through the first nine games of the season is tied for the worst start of Belichick’s career, matching his first season with the team in 2000. If they were to lose one more game, that’d give them eight losses on the year. From 2001 to 2019 (better known as the Tom Brady era), the Patriots never once lost eight games in a season.
Worse than the record is the mere fact that what was once thought to be pillars of this rebuild have regressed, which includes quarterback Mac Jones, who has registered career lows across the board. We’ve also noted in the past that Belichick’s roster decisions as the de facto GM have also hindered his on-field success. From a big-picture view, his message doesn’t seem to be hitting home anywhere across the roster either.
All that has now brought the elephant directly in the middle of the room: Is Robert Kraft going to cut ties with Belichick? Even if New England continues to suffer more losses than wins in 2023, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots owner pulling the plug in-season. After all, this is the man who was the architect of the most dominant run in NFL history and brought all six of the franchise’s Super Bowl titles. It’s that prior history that likely keeps Belichick safe through Week 18. Beyond that, it does feel — and reports have suggested as such — like we’re closing in on the end of his tenure with the Patriots.
