Bill Belichick deserves to be able to finish out season as Patriots head coach

With the 2023 season off the rails, there are plenty of valid questions about Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's future with the franchise.

However, firing him during the team's upcoming Week 11 bye should be off the table.

As Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted, the Boston Globe's Ben Volin broached the topic ahead of New England's 20-17 loss to Washington in Week 9.

The Patriots play in Germany on Sunday against the Colts, and a loss would drop them to 2-8, their worst record through 10 games since 2000, Belichick's first year as head coach.

"This is the perfect time for a struggling team to make an in-season change," wrote Florio. While that would be true in New England's case, Belichick deserves to be able to finish the season as head coach.

It's the least the Patriots could do for their head coach who led them to six Super Bowl wins, the most successful run in franchise history.

But this isn't about owner Robert Kraft being sentimental. It's about understanding that no other coach on staff, not Jerod Mayo or Bill O'Brien, would be able to win with this roster.

Serious discussions need to happen in New England about the team's power structure; Belichick's role as de facto general manager and head coach clearly isn't working as well as it used to and changes are needed.

Firing Belichick wouldn't solve the team's problems and could create more. Should the Patriots decide to move in a different direction following the season, they could trade Belichick and acquire more draft picks for their rebuild. As long as Belichick wants to coach, he'll have a job in the NFL.

For the rest of the 2023 season, at least, that should be in New England.