Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have mutually agreed to part ways after 24 seasons, the team announced.
The 71-year-old Belichick said in a media address on Thursday: “Robert (Kraft) and I, after a series of discussions, have mutually agreed to part ways. For me, this is a day of gratitude and celebration. I’ll start with Robert and his family. So much thanks for the opportunity to be the coach here for 24 years. It’s an amazing opportunity, and I received tremendous support. We had a vision of building a winner, building a championship football team here. That’s exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations, the amount of success we were able to achieve together through a lot of hard work and the contributions of so many people. Very proud of that, and I will always have those great memories. I’ll carry those with me the rest of my life … I will always be a Patriot. I look forward to coming back here but, at this time, we’re going to move on. I look forward and am excited for the future. Always very very appreciative of the opportunity here, the support here and Robert what you’ve done for me. Thank you.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said: “At heart, I will always be a sentimental sports fan, so this is a very emotional day for me. Some of my happiest and most memorable moments were celebrated with my family during Bill’s tenure here. I recognize that it also is a very emotional day for many of our fans, and most of our fans. As it represents the end of an era, one that hopefully will always be celebrated in this region. The man standing to my left brought the leadership and coaching skills that were needed to make this type of unprecedented success that we have had possible. Coach Belichick will forever be celebrated as a legendary sports icon here in New England, and I believe go in as a Pro Football Hall of Famer on the first ballot. Why? Because he is the greatest coach of all time, which makes this decision to part ways so hard. But this is a move that we mutually agreed that is needed at this time. What Bill accomplished with us, in my opinion, will never be replicated. And the fact that it was done in the salary-cap and free-agency era makes it even more extraordinary. I thank Coach Bill for his hard work and dedication. It will be difficult to see him in a cut-off hoodie on the sideline, but I always will continue to wish him continued success except when he’s playing our beloved Patriots. I thank you all for coming here today and being part of this celebration.”
In 24 seasons with New England, Belichick led the most decorated dynasty in NFL history – winning six Super Bowls, tied for most by a franchise in NFL history, with nine Super Bowl appearances. Belichick has more Super Bowl appearances as a head coach than every franchise save one, the Patriots (11). Over the course of those 24 seasons, New England compiled a 266-120 regular-season record and won 17 AFC East titles — including 11 straight from 2009-2019, the longest streak in NFL history. The 17 division titles are the most ever by any head coach with a single club. Belichick generated 296 total wins with the Patriots, including playoffs, the second-most by any head coach with a single franchise in NFL history (behind George Halas with the Bears at 324).
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