Bill Belichick Out: The End of an Empire

ew York Jets v New England Patriots
(Photo : Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images) New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on in the first half at Gillette Stadium on January 07, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts

After a dominant 24-year run as the head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick and the Patriots are expected to part ways on Thursday, ending one of the most iconic relationships in the history of the NFL.

Throughout his time in New England, Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady led one of the greatest dynasties in the modern NFL era, winning six Super Bowls together.

Since Brady departed from the Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England has struggled to maintain the same level of dominance, missing the playoffs three out of the last four seasons. 

The Patriots finished the 2023 season with a disappointing 4-13 record ending the season with a 17-3 loss to the division rival New York Jets.

With Belichick out of New England, many wonder what the future holds between the two parties.

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Bill Belichick's Next Team  

Belichick may be saying goodbye to the Patriots, but he isn't saying goodbye to the game of football altogether.  It is likely the 71-year-old coach will opt to continue coaching. 

According to The Athletic reporter Diana Russini, the Atlanta Falcons are likely to make a bid to get the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, as the Falcons  have been interested in landing Belichick for weeks. 

The Falcons are fresh off a 7-10 season, and they have just recently fired head coach Arthur Smith.  They will be looking for a new coach this offseason after missing the playoffs for the eighth season in a row. 

The Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Tennessee Titans, and the Seattle Seahawks are other head coaching vacancies that could likely try to land the legendary coach. 

It would be interesting to see who will bring in the legendary head coach after his long tenure in New England.

New England Patriots Future

For the first time since 1999, the New England Patriots will be on the hunt for a new coach following a disappointing season that saw the team fail to make the playoffs once again. 

According to ESPN, the Patriots may make an internal move promoting New England's linebacker coach Jerod Mayo, who can potentially be next in line to be the head coach for the Patriots. 

Mayo has been a part of the Patriots coach since 2019 and is well respected within the franchise. 

Mayo has a history with the franchise, getting drafted by the team in the 2008 NFL Draft and playing eight seasons with the Patriots, helping them win Super Bowl XLIX in 2014. He also played a role improving the Patriots overall defense in the past few years as the team's linebacker coach. 

Other options at head coach include former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrable, who is fresh off a stint with the Tennessee Titans.  Where he served as the head coach helping lead the team to the playoffs in three out of his five five-years in Tennessee.

Vrabel, who played eight seasons in New England, played a significant role for the Patriots throughout their dynasty, helping them win their first three Super Bowl titles (Super Bowl XXXVI, Super Bowl XXXVIII, and Super Bowl XXXIX.)

Following Vrabel's playing career, he spent time as a defensive line coach at Ohio State before joining the Houston Texans as a defensive coordinator under Bill O' Brien.

Both coaches are defense minded guys who have ties to Belichick's coaching tree, and could be efficient in the role of maintaining a good defensive presence in New England.  

Read More: NFL: Tennessee Titans Future After Mike Vrabel Firing

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