Patriots reporter says team has made a decision on Bill Belichick

Nov 18, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks on the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots have already made a decision regarding Bill Belichick’s future with the team, according to one reporter.

Patriots insider Tom E. Curran was on NBC Sports Boston’s “Arbella Early Edition” program Monday, and he talked about Belichick’s future. Curran suggested that the Patriots have already decided to move on from Belichick after the season.

“When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made. And they were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year there would be a parting of the ways, for a variety of reasons,” Curran said. “I wasn’t told this specifically, but the main one being, you don’t fire Bill Belichick during the season. Additionally though, he’s an asset. He’s under contract through another year.”

Curran emphasized that Belichick’s contract only runs through next year and therefore would not be an impediment to the team making a coaching change after the season. A previous report suggested Belichick had a multi-year extension in place.

The Patriots are 3-10 this season following their 21-18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night in Week 14. New England has scored the fewest points in the league this season (169). Only Carolina has a worse record.

Curran says that multiple ugly games from the Patriots sealed Belichick’s fate.

“The Germany game, the Commanders game, the Saints game. All huge, marquee games, and then there was the Chargers game after that,” Curran mentioned.

The Pats lost 10-6 to the Colts in Germany. They got rocked 34-0 by the Saints earlier in the season, and they lost 20-17 to the struggling Commanders.

Belichick has been the head coach of the Patriots since 2000. He has helped the team win six Super Bowls. But the 71-year-old’s impressive resume has been sullied over the last handful of years. Belichick decided to have the Patriots move on from Tom Brady, who promptly won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, the Patriots have made the playoffs once since parting ways with Brady. They are among the worst teams in the league this year.

You can see Curran’s full remarks in the video:

H/T SI