Sports
End of an NFL era: Belichick leaves Patriots after 24 seasons
By Jake Beardslee · January 11, 2024
In brief…
- 6 Super Bowl wins, most by a head coach ever
- 17 division titles over 24 seasons
- 30 playoff wins, most in NFL history
After an unprecedented 24 season run, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have decided to mutually part ways, ending the most successful head coach and franchise partnership in NFL history.
The 71-year-old Belichick led the Patriots to winning a record-tying six Super Bowls and appearing in nine. In total, the Patriots won 17 AFC East titles under Belichick, including an NFL-record 11 straight from 2009-2019.
Belichick finishes his Patriots career with 296 total wins, including playoffs. He is one of only seven head coaches to spend 20+ seasons with one team. The others are all Hall of Famers. No other coach has more postseason victories or Super Bowl wins than Belichick. Despite this unprecedented success, he only won three NFL Coach of the Year awards, which NFL writer Kevin Patra said: “underscores a brilliance often taken for granted.”
After a 5-11 first season in 2000, Belichick made his most critical move, sticking with Tom Brady as starting quarterback. This launched two decades of glory, including back-to-back Super Bowls in 2003-04. The Patriots remained a model of consistency, making the playoffs every year except 2008 when Brady was injured.
In recent years, questionable roster management left the Patriots vulnerable. The 2023 4-13 season was Belichick’s worst ever, with the team bottom-five in scoring and turnovers.
While the ending was lackluster, Belichick’s New England dynasty peaked higher and lasted longer than any other in NFL history.