The New England Patriots were able to notch a win on Christmas Eve, but victories were few and far between in 2023, which has brought the future of head coach Bill Belichick squarely into question. With two games left on the schedule and the Patriots already eliminated from playoff contention, Belichick could be playing out his final days in Foxborough. And it sounds like he’s aware of that possibility.
Belichick has expressed doubt about his future in New England to his staff at various points over the last few weeks, according to the Boston Sports Journal. The report adds that the head coach has yet to sit down with ownership to discuss what the future may bring once the 2023 campaign officially comes to a close.
Publicly, Belichick has largely dismissed any questions regarding his future, but there has been plenty of smoke that Robert Kraft could part ways with the legendary head coach after this year. CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported earlier this month that people around the NFL believe Belichick is coaching in his final games with the Patriots, but the manner of his departure is the only true mystery yet to be revealed.
As for Kraft, he has not been vocal about Belichick’s prospects to continue coaching beyond this year, which is a stark contrast to what Jets owner Woody Johnson did over the weekend, announcing that coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas would be back in 2024. On Tuesday morning during an interview with WEEI, Belichick was asked about his uncertain future and the lack of a public endorsement from Kraft, which the head coach sidestepped by putting the focus on Buffalo and getting the players ready to play.
“Yeah, my job is to get the team ready to play every week that’s what I do,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to keep doing. That’s what I’ve always done.”
New England will travel to Buffalo to face the Bills in Week 17 and then will wrap up the season at home in Week 18 against the Jets.
