After 24 seasons and six Super Bowl wins, the New England Patriots are parting ways with coach Bill Belichick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss. The move marks the end of one of the most successful eras for any NFL team in history.
The coach had one year remaining on his contract, but the Patriots will allow him to leave without seeking compensation from whichever team he moves to. He’s expected to draw intense interest from some of the seven other NFL teams currently looking for a new head coach.
Belichick was hired by owner Robert Kraft in 2000, the same year the team drafted Tom Brady, and was immediately given general manager powers within the organization—something he held during his entire tenure with the team. In the last 24 years, he compiled a 266–121 record, won six Lombardi Trophies and was a three-time AP Coach of the Year.
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He has the most Super Bowl wins by any coach in NFL history and is third all-time in career wins at 302, including his time with the Cleveland Browns. But when Brady left the franchise in 2020 to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team quickly declined.
Since Brady’s departure, New England is 29–38 (including 4–13 this past season) and made the postseason just once in 2021, but was blown out by the Bills 47–17 in embarrassing fashion. With Belichick out the door, the final pillar of one of the most successful dynasties in sports history has finally fallen.
