Bill Belichick Says He 'Absolutely' Plans to Coach Patriots Next Season

Expect Bill Belichick to be on the sidelines for the New England Patriots next season.

On Monday, Belichick said he "absolutely" plans on coaching the defending champions again in 2018, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The quote comes after Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com wrote a lengthy piece detailing the power struggles between Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and quarterback Tom Brady. The story revealed Belichick reportedly didn't want to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and isn't a fan of Brady's trainer, Alex Guerrero, among other things.

The idea of Belichick coaching elsewhere arose when a source close to him mentioned to the New York Daily News' Gary Myers the possibility he could join the New York Giants, where he previously served as the defensive coordinator.

"I'm sure Bill knows this is his last chance to be the Giants coach," the source said. "Bill sees an opening—an opening to get to the Giants."

One passage of the Wickersham piece that stood out delved into a meeting between Kraft and Belichick where the owner essentially demanded Garoppolo be traded. The coach reportedly left "furious and demoralized," although he ultimately moved Brady's backup to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a second-round pick.

The Patriots issued a statement after the article, calling some of the reports "highly exaggerated or flat out inaccurate":

Drama aside, the Patriots are a modern football dynasty, having won two of the last three Super Bowls, nine straight AFC East crowns and 14 of the last 15, and five Lombardi Trophies since Belichick took over before the 2000 season.

Brady may be 40 years old and in the back end of his career, but he is still putting up astounding numbers as an MVP candidate. He threw for a league-high 4,577 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2017 while playing all 16 games for the eighth time in the last nine years.

There is nothing to suggest the Patriots' run of success will end in 2018, and Belichick's insistence he will be back on the sidelines only makes it seem like more of a certainty.