New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick isn’t known for talking about things outside of the next game when he’s doing his press conferences. So when the topic of this morning’s presser turned to a report that this is his final season, the response was predictable.
“We’re getting ready for Kansas City,” Belichick said, referring to this week’s game against the Chiefs when asked about yesterday’s report that the team has already decided to move on from him after this season.
For some it was a familiar refrain, hearkening back to his “We’re on to Cincinnati” comment from 2014 that preceded three Super Bowl wins in five years after many declared that the Patriots’ dynasty was dead and buried.
But for others, it’s just a case of Belichick coping with the reality that he’s coached himself out of a job he’s held for nearly a quarter-century.
Is “We’re getting ready for Kansas City” the new “We’re on to Cincinnati?”🤔 pic.twitter.com/xyIox3flrH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 13, 2023
The Patriots are 3-10 and mathematically out of playoff contention this year. It’s the first time in ages that they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention this early in the season.
Whether the Patriots decide that Belichick is part of the problem or part of the solution remains to be seen. But each loss indicates more that it will be the former rather than the latter.
Will this be Bill Belichick’s final season with the Patriots?