Insider expands on futures of Bill Belichick, Patriots

Add ESPN NFL reporter Dan Graziano to the growing list of knowledgeable people saying that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick will part ways this winter. 

"Whether it's team owner Robert Kraft's decision to move on, Belichick's decision to step away or a mutual decision between the two parties, there is a growing belief around the NFL that someone besides Belichick will be coaching the team in 2024," Graziano said about the Patriots for a piece published Wednesday.

Graziano offered his take after Patriots insider Tom E. Curran reported earlier this week that Kraft came to a decision about Belichick's future after New England lost to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany on Nov. 12. 

Graziano noted he expects Kraft will make at least some attempt to honor "[Belichick's] accomplishments rather than just unceremoniously boot him out the door" following Week 18. Under Belichick, the Patriots haven't won a postseason game since Super Bowl LIII in February 2019 and are about to miss the playoffs for the third time in four years. 

The 71-year-old's inability to locate or develop a long-term replacement for quarterback Tom Brady after Brady left the Patriots as a free agent in March 2020 is a major reason for the franchise's decline. New England currently sits at 3-10 heading into this Sunday's home game against the 8-5 Kansas City Chiefs. 

Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo is widely viewed as the favorite to succeed Belichick, and Graziano wrote that "multiple sources in and around the building say Mayo taking over next year is the most likely outcome." As for Belichick, he is reportedly signed through at least the 2024 season and could be traded in return for draft compensation. Graziano mentioned the Washington Commanders, Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers as potential destinations for the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach. 

"It's going to be a popular job, assuming it comes open, because of the opportunity it offers to coach a star quarterback in Justin Herbert," Graziano said about the Chargers in a different column published on Wednesday. "If Belichick's goal is to catch Don Shula in all-time wins, he could envision that being possible in two seasons with Herbert and the rest of the Chargers' roster." 

Per Pro Football Network, Belichick trails Shula by just 15 victories (regular season and postseason combined).

Plenty remains unknown about what's next for New England and Belichick past the regular-season finale against the New York Jets on Jan. 7. Graziano made it clear Wednesday that "there are growing indications" the Belichick-Patriots marriage is in its final weeks, and nobody within the organization has yet refuted such claims.