Expect Patriots to stick with their decision on Belichick

Curran: Expect Patriots to stick with their decision on Belichick originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Despite Bill Belichick’s “business as usual” approach in Foxboro, it appears his 24-year tenure as New England Patriots head coach is still on track to end in the near future.

Belichick reportedly met with team owner Robert Kraft on Monday and was expected to meet with ownership again this week as the team charts its future after going 4-13 and missing the playoffs for the third time in four years since Tom Brady’s 2020 departure.

Our Tom E. Curran reported in mid-December that after the Patriots’ 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany, ownership decided it would part ways with Belichick after the season. Speaking Tuesday on NBC Sports Boston’s Arbella Early Edition, Curran offered an update into the Krafts’ mindset in light of Belichick’s end-of-season press conference Monday morning and the Tennessee Titans’ firing of head coach Mike Vrabel on Tuesday.

“I think they’re very methodical in the way they do things, and the fact that Mike Vrabel has kind of cannonballed into the coaching pool here, I don’t know if that would necessarily cause them to alter the course of what they’re planning to do,” Curran said of Patriots ownership.

“So, to me, we reported a month ago that a decision had been made and the Patriots would be parting ways with Bill Belichick. That remains what I believe will happen this week (or) in the near future at least. And I believe that they will stay on the course with Jerod Mayo as the next head coach.”

The Krafts have made their support of Mayo very clear: Robert Kraft cited the Patriots linebackers coach as a “strong candidate to be the heir apparent” to Belichick in March 2023, two months after publicly announcing plans to offer Mayo a contract extension.

Vrabel obviously could throw a wrench in the Krafts’ succession plan; he has a wealth of experience as both a player (three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots from 2001 to…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/curran-expect-patriots-stick-decision-145316407.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-01-10 14:59:15

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