Patriots extended HC Bill Belichick to a multi-year contract in the off-season despite the team’s downward spiral in recent seasons

The Bill Belichick era in New England is far from done.

Patriots extended HC Bill Belichick to a multi-year contract in the off-season despite the team’s downward spiral in recent seasons

Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick (IMAGE: Imago)

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” That iconic line from The Godfather: Part 3 is one that sums up Bill Belichick‘s condition right now. The Head Coach for the New England Patriots has reportedly signed an extension with the team in the off-season without letting it leak out into the public domain. This extension is not just for one or two seasons, but is expected to be a “multi-year” deal as per NFL Media.

Ian Rapoport broke the news:

Bill Belichick during the offseason quietly agreed to terms on a lucrative, multi-year, new contract. Now, contractually, he is locked up long term.
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This news comes just days after Albert Breer had revealed on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that Patriots owner Robert Kraft was considering moving on from his head coach after hearing dissent from the team’s fanbase.

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The exact terms of the deal still remain under wraps, which is not surprising considering that it is Bill Belichick. However, it is impressive that the team managed to keep this news private until now as the deal concluded in the off-season. This was unexpected, as the New England Patriots have been on a downward spiral in the past few seasons. Ever since the departure of Tom Brady, Bill has not looked like the greatest coach of all time.

Bill Belichick’s extension is likely to cause Patriots fans to be outraged with owner Robert Kraft

Bill Belichick is currently 17 wins short of tying Don Shula for having the most wins in history, including playoffs. Ironically, he is also just 9-losses away from breaking Tom Landry‘s record for having the most losses in his NFL career. Landry had 178, while Bill is at 170. Belichick has been at the top of the Patriots organization for over two decades now. He is currently 71 years of age.

Bill Belichick is here to stay as the Head Coach of the New England Patriots.
Bill Belichick is here to stay as the Head Coach of the New England Patriots. (IMAGE: AP)

While he is credited for establishing a winning culture in New England and establishing a dynasty with Tom Brady, the last few seasons have been the exact opposite of everything that Belichick is known for. The Patriots have struggled. In the last three seasons, they have been to the playoffs just once and got bounced in the Wild Card round. This season marks a new low for Bill as the team is 1-5 making it the worst start to a season for the HC.

These performances put a big question mark on the future of Belichick as the primary decision-maker of the team’s roster and coaching but it appears that owner Robert Kraft knows something that the rest of the world does not as he still has faith in Belichick. There are still questions that remain unanswered. Why did Robert Kraft not reveal the details of this extension? What happens if the Patriots do not improve in the next two or three seasons? Does Belichick stay or will he be let go?

The only reason that this news came out was because it was leaked to Ian Rapoport. It was not voluntarily disclosed by Robert Kraft or the Patriots organization. This just adds a layer of suspense around the whole story.

New England desperately needs to improve on offense, the team’s defense is top-12 at the least in the NFL but they need to put up points on the board. The team does not appear to be convinced in Mac Jones as their franchise QB, if that is the case, it gives way to another question, is New England tanking this year to get a chance to draft Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 draft?

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