Bill Belichick turned 63 in April. Only Tom Coughlin and (surprise) Pete Carroll count as contemporary elders in the NFL.
In a 2009 NFL Network special, Belichick said people didn't "have to worry about" him coaching into his 70s like Marv Levy, a reference to the former Bills coach who retired at 72. If Belichick still feels that way, we could be approaching the twilight years of an incredible career.
In Do Your Job: Bill Belichick and the 2014 New England Patriots, the NFL Network special premiering next month, we hear how some people in the Patriots' building feel about that Belichick prediction. To a man, no one seems particularly concerned.
"To project out 13 years isn't like the Bill Belichick I know," team president Jonathan Kraft said, in reference to Belichick's 2009 comment. "The Bill Belichick I know literally goes minute to minute dealing with what's there. So hopefully his prognostication skills were off talking as a 56- or 57-year-old and hopefully when he becomes a 68-year-old he gets a new perspective of how young 70 really is."
Nick Caserio, the team's director of player personnel, believes Belichick's work ethic betrays any talk of walking away.
"Look, the guy is on a treadmill working out in the spring watching college tape of the 2016 draft prospects," Caserio said. "I mean, how many other head coaches are doing that? When that passion isn't there as much, then he'll walk away, and maybe he'll go coach lacrosse, I don't know."
Patriots owner Robert Kraft offered his own take.
"Seventy's pretty young, you know," the 74-year-old owner said, before adding a wink.
Total speculation, but we can easily imagine Belichick sticking around in Foxborough for as long as Tom Brady is the team's starting quarterback. And with Brady talking about playing well into his 40s, Belichick shouldn't be cleaning out his office any time soon.
Do Your Job: Bill Belichick and the 2014 New England Patriots premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. ET, only on NFL Network.
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