Bill Belichick to Depart New England Patriots After 24 Seasons and 6 Super Bowls Wins with NFL Team: Reports

The Patriots head coach and six-time Super Bowl winner is reportedly set to announce the move in a press conference on Thursday

Bill Belichick is reportedly parting ways with the New England Patriots.

The longtime head coach, 71, is set to announce his departure from the NFL team sometime Thursday, according to ESPN.

Belichick and the Patriots' owner, Robert Kraft, were in talks all week discussing the move and how best to approach it, sources told the outlet, noting that there was no animosity between the two Patriots leaders.

NFL insiders reported the same news, claiming that the decision for Belichick’s departure was a mutual agreement with the Patriots.

Belichick himself has not yet addressed the news, but is expected to during a press conference with Kraft, 82, on Thursday. He remains interested in coaching, and is expected to explore other head-coach vacancies in the league, per ESPN.

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With a historic six Super Bowl titles under his belt, Belichick has secured his place among the best NFL coaches of all time.  He joined the Patriots in 2000 after stints with the New York Giants and New York Jets, as well as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Belichick marked his 49th consecutive season as a coach for the league in 2022. The anniversary broke the NFL record previously held by Dick LeBeau at 45 consecutive seasons as a coach.

In 2020, Belichick remarked on his departure from the Jets just one day after taking a head-coaching gig to join the Patriots as “not only one of the most defining, but you know, one of the great moments of my career.”

He told WEEI Sports Radio that the Jets position “wasn’t a good situation for me, and I didn’t want to be part of it.”

Three weeks later, Kraft made a trade to secure Belichick as New England's head coach. “That combined with Robert giving me the opportunity to come here, I couldn’t have asked for anything more," Belichick said.

Among Belichick’s most notable achievements is his camaraderie with former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, whom he famously took a chance on in 2001 and who helped lead the team to their first-ever Super Bowl title.

The team went on to win back-to-back Super Bowls in 2003 and 2004, as well as in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Following Brady’s departure from the Patriots in 2020, the team began a slow descent from the top, and ended this season with a 4-13 record.

Related: Tom Brady Returns to New England Patriots for Emotional Halftime Ceremony: 'Patriot for Life!'

This past December, Belichick faced questions from reporters about his future at the organization, as the Patriots had only won 3 games at that point.

Multiple outlets reported that the team intended to fire him as head coach after the season as a result of the performance, with the Patriots' 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany being cited by NBC as what clinched the decision.

When asked by reporters about his future with the team in December, Belichick would only discuss the Patriots' next game, repeating the phrase, "Getting ready for Kansas City."

Brady, 46, spoke out in defense of his former coach as Belichick faced criticism for the team’s performance this season, calling him “the best coach, in my belief, in the history of the game,” during an appearance on the Stephen A. Smith Show.

The legendary quarterback, who retired last year after two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, added of Belichick, “The thought of him not being in New England is hard for me to think about."

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