Patriots' Robert Kraft on Bill Belichick's Exit: Past 3 Years Were 'Pretty Tough'

Bill Belichick is unquestionably one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, but things have not been the same of late.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft even admitted as much Thursday after news broke of the coach and organization mutually parting ways.

"The last three years have been pretty tough," Kraft said, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss noted Belichick and Kraft met multiple times this week to discuss the future and ultimately settled on a mutual parting of ways with "no conflict" and "no disagreement."

Kraft even said, "this is a move that we mutually agreed that is needed at this time. What Bill accomplished, in my opinion, will never be duplicated."

That list of accomplishments is long.

In 24 seasons as the head coach of the Patriots, he won six Lombardi Trophies, reached nine Super Bowls, won 17 division titles, finished with a 266-121 overall record and worked with quarterback Tom Brady to make up one of the most successful pairings in sports history.

Yet things trended in the wrong direction after that pairing ended.

Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2019 campaign, and the Patriots made the playoffs once and didn't win a single postseason game in the next four seasons. Things reached a low point in 2023 when they finished in last place in the AFC East with a 4-13 record.

New England surely hoped Mac Jones would be the next star quarterback for the organization when it selected him with a first-round pick in the 2021 draft, but he has looked like anything but that.

He was benched during the 2023 campaign, meaning the franchise may have to use the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft to find its next quarterback.

But it won't be Belichick making that selection.