Jan. 11 (UPI) — Bill Belichick’s legendary 24-year tenure with the New England Patriots has come to an end, with the record six-time Super Bowl champion expected to step down as coach.
Sources told NFL Network, ESPN and The Athletic about the move Thursday morning. Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft are scheduled to speak at a news conference at noon EST in Foxborough, Mass.
Belichick, viewed by many as the greatest coach in NFL history, won 302 regular-season games over his 29-year career. That total stands as the third-most of all-time, trailing only Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318).
Belichick spent 10 years as an assistant and positions coach before becoming a defensive coordinator in 1985 for the New York Giants. He held that role until he was hired to coach the Cleveland Browns in 1991.
Belichick led the Browns to a 36-44 record, before being fired in 1996. He served as an assistant head coach and defensive backs coach in 1996 for the Patriots. He then worked as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 1997 through 1999.
The Patriots hired Belichick as their head coach in 2000, starting one of the most-successful dynasties in sports history.
The Patriots logged a winning record in just one of Belichick’s first six seasons. They went on to win Super Bowls in three of the next four years, with then-young quarterback Tom Brady leading the offense.
Belichick’s Patriots posted winning records in 19 consecutive seasons from 2001 through 2019. They won at least 10 games 18 times during that span. Belichick and Brady led the Patriots to additional Super Bowl titles in 2015, 2017 and 2019. They also teamed up to complete a perfect 16-0 regular season in 2007, before losing to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
Overall, Belichick’s Patriots appeared in nine Super Bowls. They were 31-13 in 44 postseason appearances under Belichick.
The 2023 version of the Patriots went 4-13, the worst record for any Belichick-coached team. It marked the eighth season of Belichick’s coaching career in which his team had a losing record.
News of Belichick’s split with the Patriots came less than 24 hours after his friend and former colleague Nick Saban announced he would step down from his role as head coach at Alabama. Saban, who worked as a defensive coordinator under Belichick for the Browns, won a record seven titles at the collegiate level.
The news also came a year after Brady announced his retirement from the league. Brady posted a 219-64 record as a starter while playing for Belichick.
The Patriots are now one of eight NFL franchises searching for a new head coach. The Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers have also fired their head coaches since the start of the 2023-24 season.
