Report: Bill Belichick Fired if New England Patriots Lose in Germany?
Could the final game of Bill Belichick's storied career as head coach of the New England Patriots come Sunday morning in Germany?
It is indeed a reality, at least according to the reporting of the Boston Globe's Ben Volin. His latest story speculates that if the Patriots lose to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, owner Robert Kraft might do the once unthinkable and fire Belichick before the team's Bye.
Wrote Volin in a story posted Sunday: "Based on my conversations, I don’t think it’s 100 percent that Belichick finishes out this season. These next two games before the bye are huge, particularly the Germany game, which is practically the team’s Super Bowl for the Krafts. If Belichick loses at home to the Commanders and then to the Colts, and comes home from Germany with a 2-8 record, I think there’s a chance the Krafts could make the move in the bye week and install Jerod Mayo as the interim coach for the final seven games."
The Patriots, of course, did lose Washington last weekend in Foxboro to drop their record to 2-7. They are 1.5-point underdogs against the 4-5 Colts Sunday. A video also went viral this week of Kraft talking to his son - Jonathan - in which the team president says "We're just not good enough."
After stating last March that making the playoffs this season was "very important," Kraft has kept publicly quiet on the season and the status of Belichick, only telling those close to him about his "frustration."
Asked about the viral video during his weekly radio appearance on WEEI Monday morning, Belichick merely grumbled.
"You’d have to ask them about what they said,” he said. "I don’t know. We didn’t do enough (Sunday).”
While Volin surmises in the same story that Mayo would finish the season as interim coach, he also writes that the Pats' "home run" hire is Mike Vrabel and that a dream scenario for 2024 would him flanked by Mayo on the defensive side and recently fired Josh McDaniels returning to the team for his third stint as offensive coordinator.
Could Patriots owner Robert Kraft fire Bill Belichick after Sunday's game in Germany?
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In the midst of the worst Patriots' present in almost a quarter-century, theories abound about Belichick's future.
NFL insider Adam Schefter said recently that Belichick wouldn't be fired because he deserves "special treatment." Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, however, said an "outright firing" is on the table. Others suggest a potential trade of the Hall-of-Fame coach. And now comes not only the new reporting about Belichick's departure, but also a new rumor centered on his successor.
Though Mayo, who last offseason turned down head-coaching inquiries to sign a new contract to stay in Foxboro, is assumed to be the Pats' head-coach-in-waiting, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio is also on board with the Vrabel scenario.
Vrabel is beloved in Boston (and by Belichick). A newly christened member of the team's Hall of Fame with three Super Bowl rings. A link to the Pats' glorious past, but also in tune with the modern NFL.
He also, of course, has a gig coaching the Tennessee Titans so a lot of dominoes would have to fall for him to wind up in New England in 2024. But Florio isn't the only one envisioning Vrabel leading a revamped, Belichick-less coaching staff next season.
Volin last weekend offered his "Dream Team," featuring Vrabel as the No. 1 candidate.
With the worst record in the AFC, no offensive playmakers and significant injuries to stars on both sides of the ball (including Pro Bowl pass-rusher Matthew Judon and leading receiver Kendrick Bourne), this Patriots' season is an unmitigated disaster. They haven't been 2-7 since Belichick's first season in Foxboro in 2000.
Widely considered one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, the 71-year-old Belichick has coached the Patriots for 24 years. He guided them to six Super Bowls and last month became just the third coach in pro football history to record 300 victories.
The Patriots are 27-32 and without a playoff win since iconic quarterback Tom Brady left after the 2019 season.
