Bill Belichick could be entering his final season with the New England Patriots, that is if he doesn’t manage to meet expectations set by owner Robert Kraft, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.
Belichick, 71, needs 19 wins in the NFL to surpass Don Shula‘s record of 328 regular season victories and is just a couple years away from becoming the oldest head coach in league history.
Robert Kraft confirms that Tom Brady will make a special return to the Patriots
Kraft, 82, might not be willing to give Belichick two to three more seasons at the helm if the team does not win, at least that’s what he has recently suggested.
“Look, I’d like him to break Don Shula’s record,” Kraft said. “But I’m not looking for any our players to get great stats. We’re about winning, and doing whatever we can to win.
“And that’s what our focus is now. And I — it’s very important to me that we make the playoffs, and that’s what I hope happens next year.”
Bill Belichick fires back
Belichick pointed out during his season finale press conference that from 2020 through 2022, New England ranked 27th in spending.
Kraft responded by saying he would pay for any player Belichick wants because otherwise he’d just sell the team.
The back-and-forth they’ve had via the media is just Belichick shifting blame to Kraft for his lack of success ever since Tom Brady left the franchise.
Kraft recently stated he wants to win a seventh Super Bowl with Belichick, so a disastrous season in which they fail to make the playoffs would likely place the head coach on the hot seat.
