Bill Belichick: 'I'll Always Be a Patriot' Despite Parting Ways With New England

In a joint press conference, longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft announced Thursday that the two sides "mutually and amicably" agreed to part ways.

Upon announcing the end of his 24-year tenure has head coach in New England, Belichick told reporters that he will "always be a Patriot."

While Belichick and Kraft did not field questions from the media, they made individual statements in which they thanked each other, and Belichick also thanked the players, coaches, staff members and fans he encountered in over two decades the the Pats' head coach.

While Belichick was clearly emotional at times during his farewell, especially when talking about the fans, he initially kept it light, saying he hadn't seen so many cameras since the Patriots signed Tim Tebow in 2013.

Belichick didn't name any players specifically, but he thanked everyone he coached in New England whether they won multiple championships or none at all, noting that many of them were among the greatest players in Patriots and NFL history.

Of course, Belichick will always be synonymous with quarterback Tom Brady, who was alongside Belichick for 20 years and played a huge role in the Pats winning six Super Bowls and 17 AFC East titles during that time.

While it marked the end of one of the most successful eras for any team in NFL history, Belichick called Thursday "a day of gratitude and celebration," per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

After Brady's departure at the conclusion of the 2019 season, Belichick went just 29-38 with one playoff appearance over the past four seasons, including a career-worst mark of 4-13 in 2023.

However, that doesn't erase the fact that Belichick won 266 regular-season games and 30 playoff games as Patriots head coach. When adding in his 37 total wins as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Belichick trails Miami Dolphins legend Don Shula by just 14 career coaching victories.

Belichick could ride off into the sunset and retire at 71 years of age, but all signs point toward him continuing to coach, and Kraft seemed to confirm as much.

After thanking Belichick for all he did and declaring that they far exceeded expectations during their time together, Kraft made mention of watching Belichick coach elsewhere.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Kraft said: "What Bill has done will never be repeated. It'll be difficult to see him in a cutoff hoodie on another sideline. I wish him success except when he's coaching against our beloved Patriots."

The focus now shifts toward Belichick's next step and the difficult task of replacing Belichick in New England.

Several teams have head coaching vacancies and could potentially target Belichick, but one team that has emerged as perhaps the early front-runner is the Atlanta Falcons, as ESPN's Adam Schefter named them as a possible landing spot.

As for the Patriots, the leading internal candidate is likely inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, but they could target longtime Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, who was fired this week despite taking the Tennessee Titans to the playoffs three times in six seasons.