Could Week 18 of the 2023 NFL season be the last time the league will see Bill Belichick?
The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach with the New England Patriots has been facing hefty questions about his coaching future. His Pats team sits at 4-12 overall with one game left, making the 2023 Pats the worst team in his legendary career record-wise.
Belichick, though, gave a unique perspective when addressing his coaching future.
Bill Belichick Believes “Twitter and MyFace” Will Answer His Fate
Not one to use social media, Belichick sounds like he’ll pay attention to it after Week 18 wraps up.
Or he’ll create an account and post his future himself, as he told The Greg Hill Show of WEEI Boston on Tuesday.
“You know, if I was going to do anything, I’d put it out there on Twitter and MyFace so everybody could see it,” Belichick told the radio personality. “If I don’t do that, then I’ll just keep it private.”
"If I was going to do anything I'd put it out there on Twitter and MyFace"
Bill Belichick shares how HE would make a big announcement about his future! pic.twitter.com/JA46Lnf12m— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow)
He’s likely referring to Facebook or former social media giant MySpace for the latter social media site. The former is now known as X.
Still, Belichick is facing a turbulent future for the first time in his two-decade run as the Patriots’ head coach. His teams have missed the playoffs in three of his last four seasons, but again, the 2023 Patriots’ 12 losses represent Belichick’s highest losses tally in a season with New England — shattering his previous worst of 11 losses in 2000, his first year as the Patriots’ head coach.
Belichick is also 14 wins away from shattering the league’s all-time wins record for a head coach. Don Shula still holds that mark with 347 total career victories. Belichick sits at 333 wins, including playoffs and Super Bowls.
Former New England Patriot Denies Belichick Will Get Fired
While the perception around the Boston region is that Belichick will part ways with the Pats, one Super Bowl-winning defender under Belichick denies it.
Devin McCourty, who starred at safety for three of Belichick’s Super Bowl-winning teams, went on the same radio show on Wednesday to deny the idea of his former head coach getting canned.
“I think a month ago we were all kind of writing this story about what’s happening next,” McCourty said on WEEI’s show. “But I think as you look at this team, I think a lot of times people always talk about — from an ownership standpoint, they want to see their team progress, right?
“When they fire coaches in the middle of the year they say, ‘Well, we just looked at the team, and it just doesn’t look like it’s progressing or it’s getting better.’ And when you look at the Patriots, it looks like it’s getting better. Like, you can’t say that it doesn’t.”
McCourty further explained that he believes Belichick has found a way to make this team better, despite their circumstances.
“I think the way this team has played, this defense has even gotten better while losing key pieces,” McCourty said.
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“The offense has gotten better even though the turnovers killed them last week. But you look at that game, like, they’re close to beating Buffalo.”
The now-NFL Network personality concluded his thoughts, saying, “I think it’s really hard to move on from a guy, obviously of what he’s done, but even what he’s done this year, of getting that team going and turned around.”
Where Could Belichick End Up in 2024? Speculations Arise
When considering whether Belichick has coached his final game as a Patriot or not, many fans and analysts believe the 71-year-old could still get coaching offers.
One potential fit is with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bolts fired Brandon Staley after two seasons and 14 games. Fans and analysts have taken a liking to the idea of a high-profile head coach heading to the L.A. market in his attempt to resuscitate a talented yet struggling franchise. Many media personalities believe the Chargers need to make a home-run hire — and they could pull off just that with Belichick.
However, back on Dec. 7 during the Pats’ Thursday Night Football win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Al Michaels proposed this idea:
“How about this? If he goes (the TV analyst route), they put him in the booth with Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady next year on Fox,” Michaels suggested.
Needless to say, the NFL world will officially know the fate of Belichick after the Patriots’ home game against the New York Jets on Sunday.
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