New England's lost 2023 season, a campaign that currently stands at 3-10 with four left to play, could end with a colossal change atop the organization.
Bill Belichick has remained a topic of conversation for much of the Patriots' struggle-filled year, and the coach again faced questions on Wednesday regarding his future from the local media after a report on his job status surfaced earlier in the week.
In classic Belichick fashion, he deflected.
"I'm getting ready for Kansas City," Belichick said on Wednesday when asked if he and owner Robert Kraft shared an understanding that 2023 would be Belichick's last year in New England, per the team transcript. "That's what I'm doing."
Reporters attempted to approach the topic from a number of angles following Belichick's non-answer. Does Belichick want to keep coaching in New England? Have Belichick and Kraft discussed his future beyond the 2023 season?
They all received the same response: "Getting ready for Kansas City."
The Kansas City game, in itself, reflects the disappointment of 2023. New England was originally slated to face off with the defending Super Bowl champions in a Monday night affair, but because the Patriots have been such a tough watch this season, the game was flexed out of the prime-time slot into the standard 1 p.m. ET Sunday window.
Even after the Patriots scored an upset win over Pittsburgh on Thursday Night Football in Week 14, they still couldn't avoid disappointment Sunday, when Cincinnati's win over Indianapolis officially eliminated New England from playoff contention at the earliest point in a season since Belichick's first in Foxborough in 2000.
With 24 years under his belt, Belichick has spent a significant amount of time at the helm of the Patriots. Personnel missteps and hiring mistakes have sent New England plunging from the throne of the AFC East into the cellar, and after missing the playoffs in three of the last four seasons -- all played without Tom Brady -- a change might be in order.
An eight-time Super Bowl champion (six won as head coach of the Patriots), Belichick has undoubtedly earned the right to play out the string -- and owner Robert Kraft is not inclined to fire the legendary coach in-season, as reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Nov. 12.
