- Bill Belichick is in the midst of his worst season as a head coach in over two decades.
- Speculation has been rampant that owner Bob Kraft is prepared to fire Belichick due to a 1-5 start.
- According to online betting sites, Belichick is expected to remain the head coach for the Patriots next season.
If you are interested in seeing Bill Belichick fired, the betting odds are not in your favor. Per odds at BetOnline, Belichick is favored to remain in Foxborough as the head coach of the New England Patriots. Belichick is -300 to be the head coach for the Patriots in Week 1 of the 2024-25 season.
Conversely, you can wager on Belichick retiring at +200 and coaching another team at +700 odds. At 71 years old, it is highly unlikely that Belichick will consider starting fresh with another franchise.
In other words, the only realistic option is Belichick coaching the Patriots or retiring. Being fired by owner Bob Kraft coincides with retiring from the NFL. If Belichick is canned, it’s likely that he decided to call it a career.
In any event, the odds are indicating that Belichick isn’t going anywhere. At -300, Beclichick has an implied chance of 75 percent to remain the head coach of the Patriots.
Kraft Reportedly Angry With Belichick
In March, at the NFL Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, Kraft was asked to summarize how important it was for Belichick to break Don Shula’s all-time wins record in the NFL.
Currently, Shula leads the league with 347 wins. He is followed by Belichick at 330 wins, and George Halas with 324 wins. However, Kraft is not interested in breaking head coaching records.
“I’d like him to break Don Shula’s record, but I’m not looking for any of our players to get great stats,” commented Kraft. “We’re about winning and doing whatever we can to win. That’s what our focus is now. It’s very important to me that we make the playoffs. That’s what I hope happens next year.”
Six games into the 2023-24 season, based on those comments, Kraft is not content with how this season has transpired. According to The Athletic, Kraft has grown frustrated and angry with Belichick over the lack of success this season.
The report indicates that Kraft reached his boiling point after the Patriots suffered their second-worst shutout loss in team history to the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. Following the 21-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders this past week, the Patriots are just 26-30 in the post-Tom Brady era.
In 2018, it was reported that for the first time there was tension between Belichick and Kraft. At the time, there were reports that Kraft wanted to trade Jimmy Garoppolo (who is now the starter for the Raiders) to appease Brady, much to the chagrin of Belichick.
In addition to Belichick and Kraft at odds with one another, Brady was not thrilled with Belichick’s handling of the situation. In March 2020, Brady officially left the Patriots and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won his seventh Super Bowl title.
Tedy Bruschi Suggests That Belichick Should Retire
One of Belichick’s most loyal backers, former Patriots’ linebacker Tedy Bruschi, believes that he should call it a career after this season. Bruschi played 13 seasons for the Patriots, with a Pro Bowl appearance and three Super Bowl championships on his resume.
Belichick’s former defensive captain has seen enough and wants to see his friend retire. After dropping to 1-4 against the Cowboys in Week 5, Bruschi told Belichick to retire on ESPN.
“Have them play respectfully by the end of the season, and walk away. That’s what I want my former coach to do. Don’t — Shula doesn’t matter. You’ve got multiple Super Bowls over Shula. You’re a better coach.”
Bruschi added that Belichick can fish with him in Nantucket following his retirement. Will Belichick take Bruschi’s advice and give up coaching? If the season keeps going south, Kraft may not allow Belichick to leave on his own accord.
If Belichick does in fact return as head coach next season, there is a possibility that Kraft hires a new General Manager to make the front office decisions for the 2024-25 campaign. Currently, Belichick also handles the GM duties.
