Have Patriots already decided Bill Belichick's future?

Retired New England Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski raised eyebrows when he recently said he believes head coach Bill Belichick is "gonna come back" to the organization for another season. 

That may have been wishful thinking. 

According to Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston, well-known Patriots insider Tom E. Curran reported during an appearance on the NBC Sports Boston "Arbella Early Edition" program that team owner Robert Kraft made the final call to part ways with Belichick following the club's 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany on Nov. 12. 

"When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made," Curran explained. "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."

While Belichick guided the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships during his tenure, he hasn't earned a single playoff victory since quarterback Tom Brady left the franchise as a free agent after the 2019 season. Additionally, Belichick's inability to acquire or develop a long-term replacement for Brady is a big reason New England will miss the postseason for a third time in four years. 

"Even if they win out, they still end up with seven wins, out of the postseason, trending in the wrong direction," Patriots insider Phil Perry added about the New England-Belichick relationship during the segment. "And it doesn't erase all of the personnel errors that [Curran] and I have been talking about for a long time here. So, I'm sure the Krafts are looking at that and also looking at this offseason and all the cap space they have and what looks like could be a top-three pick in the draft, and it would be fair for them to ask, 'Is Bill Belichick the right guy to lead us through that offseason into 2024 and beyond?'"

Belichick reportedly is signed through the 2024 campaign, hasn't given any indication he'll retire this winter and has been linked with several teams that either already are or will soon be looking for new head coaches. Curran said that Belichick's deal "would not be an impediment to [the Patriots] changing course," which suggests Kraft may not try to trade the 71-year-old to a different club following Week 18 if Belichick pushes back against his next employer giving up even a single draft asset to land his services. 

Belichick will next guide the 3-10 Patriots into this Sunday's home game against the 8-5 Kansas City Chiefs. As of Tuesday morning, oddschecker listed New England as a 9.5-point underdog for that matchup.