The Patriots and their long-time head coach will be going their separate ways in the future. For almost two decades, Bill Belichick oversaw the most successful operation in the NFL. Serving as head coach and quasi-general manger, he led the to an unprecedented run that included six Super Bowl wins and 17 division titles.
Recently, however, the organization hit a dry spell. The Patriots have failed to win a playoff game since its victory in Super Bowl LIII in February 2019, and did not qualify altogether for the tournament in three of the last four years.
Finally, in 2023, the team reached its lowest point en route to a 4-13 finish. Four days after that 13th and final loss, Belichick’s 24-year run had come to an end: as he and team owner Robert Kraft announced on Thursday, they have agreed to mutually part ways. Why now? According to Kraft, the timing felt right for the both of them. “This is a results business, and certain things in life are instinctual. I think both of us felt that the time was right for each of us to go off in our separate directions,” he said during a Q&A session on Thursday afternoon. “The last few days, since Monday, since we’ve been thinking about it and talking about it, our relationship went to a new place. This is very hard. It’s like a marriage: things don’t always go great, and you get through the difficult times and it makes the relationship stronger.
I think we had a chance to do that over the last almost quarter of a century. So, I think both of us felt that at this point in time it was in our mutual interest to each go our own way.” When Kraft hired Belichick in 2000, his club had yet to win a championship, had just four AFC East titles to its name, and was valued at an inflation-adjusted $818 million.
Over the next two decades, all of those numbers improved drastically. The Patriots won all those Super Bowls and division crowns, and saw their organizational value skyrocket to a currently-estimated $7 billion. None of that would have happened if not for Belichick, which is why Kraft put on a sentimental tone when speaking about his long-term companion and him splitting ways. “I will always be a sentimental sports fan, so this is a very emotional day for me,” Kraft said. “Some of my happiest and most memorable moments were celebrated with my family during Bill’s tenure here.
I recognize that it also is a very emotional day for many of our fans — and most of our fans — as it represents the end of an era, one that hopefully will always be celebrated in this region. ... “This is a move that we mutually agreed that is needed at this time. What Bill accomplished with us, in my opinion, will never be replicated. And the fact that it was done in the salary cap and free agency era makes it even more extraordinary.” In order to return the Patriots to their former glory, however, the 82-year-old owner and 71-year-old head coach reached an agreement that it was time for change. As a consequence, Belichick will not be back for what would have been a 25th season leading the team’s football operations. “Something isn’t quite right from where it was,” Kraft said when speaking about his team’s recent lack of success. “The last three years have been pretty tough and I know for our dedicated fans, and myself, in life I’ve just learned that things happen. Our family is the custodian of this asset — the New England Patriots — and we know how important it is to the psyche of the community.
What’s gone on here the last three, four years isn’t what we want. So, we have a responsibility to do what we can to fix it to the best of our ability.” The first step of that process was the Patriots and Belichick parting ways. Whether the move will eventually bring the desired results is up in the air.
Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2024/1/11/24 ... -part-ways
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