Bill Belichick said Thursday he has mutually agreed with team owner Robert Kraft to part ways with the New England Patriots, capping an unsurpassed head coaching tenure in the NFL. Belichick led the team to six Super Bowl titles in 24 seasons.
“We had a vision of building a winner ... and it exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations,” Belichick said.
Kraft, who appeared with Belichick at the press conference, called his now-former employee “the greatest coach of all times, which makes this decision to part ways so hard but this is a move that we mutually agreed that is needed at this time.”
“Like a good marriage, a successful head coach-owner relationship requires a lot of hard work and I’m very proud our partnership that lasted for 24 years,” Kraft added.
Belichick’s departure headlines a sea change in football. Storied college coach Nick Saban announced his retirement Wednesday at the University of Alabama, where he won six national titles after winning his first championship at Louisiana State University.
In the pro ranks, Belichick, 71, arguably has the most sparkling resume of all.
The Patriots won nine AFC championships en route to Belichick’s record collection of six Super Bowl titles as head coach. His 31 playoff victories are a record for head coaches as well, and he walks away from the Patriots as the second-winningest coach in NFL history with 333 (including the playoffs).
Sources told ESPN that he wants to continue coaching and Belichick may have hinted at the possibility. “At this time we’re gonna move on and I look forward, excited for the future,” he said.
Kraft said he’d root for Belichick except against the Patriots.
Belichick’s success was intertwined with Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Tom Brady, the three-time league MVP who was behind all six championships.
Belichick’s downfall could also be traced to Brady’s departure for Tampa Bay, where he won a seventh Super Bowl trophy with the Buccaneers in 2021. Brady retired for good after the 2022 season.
Belichick never regained the magic. The Patriots went 29-38 over four seasons without Brady, including Belichick’s career-worst 4-13 campaign this season that ended in a desultory loss to the New York Jets, who had lost 15 straight to Belichick.