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The New England Patriots face a tough decision with what to do with their current head coach Bill Belichick. According to multiple reports, the Patriots are expected to part ways with their longest tenured head coach. Problem is the Patriots are unsure exactly how that process is going to play out.
Belichick is not just the longest tenured head coach in Patroits history, he’s also the longest tenured head coach in the NFL.
Belichick was hired as the head coach of the Patriots in 2000. Since then he has taken the Patriots to the post season 18 team times, winning the AFC East a total of 17 times, winning nine AFC Conference Championship games, appearing in nine Super Bowls, winning six of them.
Belichick is also closing in on legendary head coach Don Shula’s all time career win mark. Shula amassed 347 wins, including the playoffs during his coaching career. Belichick sits at 334 wins, including the playoffs. That likely puts Belichick on a pace of having to coach at least two more seasons.
Belichick of course is not likely going to walk away from the game until he accomplishes that feat. The questions is will Bill approach and pass Shula’s record while on the Patriots sideline or another teams sideline.
Belichick stated on Monday that he remains “under contract” and that he plans to do whatever he can to help the team win.
Somewhat problematic for the Patriots is that Belichick is not just the head coach, but he is also the “defect” general manager and as such Belichick is and has been the architect of the team. There is no one above Belichick except Bob Kraft, the team owner, and his son Jonathan Kraft, the team’s vice president.
That means that Belichick is largely free to make all team and personnel decisions, that includes all the decisions he is making now and could in theory continue to make in the coming days or weeks. Belichick is free to dismiss any coaches he wants, without any prior input from the Krafts.
On Wednesday, Belichick sent his coaching staff on a vacation of sorts, for two weeks. The question is when they return, will their boss still be the boss.
Belichick is expected to meet with Robert and Jonathon Kraft sometime this week. Belichick has hinted that he would be willing to have some of his total contra of personnel decisions rescinded or scaled back if that is what is best for the team.
Some have speculated that the reason that Belichick has not yet been fired, is that the Patriots would like to trade Belichick to any team that would be interested in his services. The question then becomes would Belichick be on board with such an idea.
Unlike players, coaches have to approve their own trade, if they are under contract. The Patriots would likely receive at least one first round pick if they did trade Belichick to another team and he of course agreed. But considering how stingy Belichick is with draft picks, it’s unlikely that he would accept such a deal, because it would leave his new team with at least one fewer draft pick.
Belichick has a ton of leverage at the moment. He can essentially veto any trade. And if Belichick senses that is the direction that the Kraft family is determined to go in, he could essentially stall those plans by simply digging in his heels.
In essence Bill could force the Kraft’s to fire him, even though they likely do not wish to do that. Belichick has been the Patriots head coach for the last 23 years. He is almost as synonymous with team as the Krafts themselves. Belichick is the games true GOAT. He has already won and coached in the most Super Bowls in NFL history. Bill has six rings as a head coach with the Patriots and another two wins as an assistant coach with the New York Giants.
He will one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame and when he is a big part of that will be because of what he accomplished as the head coach of the Patriots. The Kraft family knows that. They do not want a messy divorce that would tarnish their own legacy as much as it would Belichick’s
Belichick is going to eventually surpass Shula, and when he does, he will hold as many significant achievements that any coach in any sport can hold. On that day in the not too distant future when Belichick is standing on that stage at his pro football hall of fame enshrinement, Robert Kraft wants nothing more than to be the one to have the honor of inducting his longtime coach into Canton.
That’s why the Kraft family has more to lose at the moment as all parties meet to hopefully find some amicable way to part. The more determined Belichick becomes to stay, the messier things could end up getting. Right now Belichick has indicated that he intends to stay.
That puts the ball firmly in the Kraft’s court. Only time will tell how this soap opera is going to play out.
