It's been a rough few years for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots amid their attempt to return to legitimate Super Bowl contention in the aftermath of Tom Brady's departure. In 2021, it seemed like the Patriots had its quarterback of the future in Mac Jones. But the Patriots have only declined since then, winning eight games in 2022 and finishing with just four wins, which is “good” for the worst record in the AFC.

Now with the 2023-24 NFL regular season having concluded, with the Patriots ending it on a whimper with a dreadful 17-3 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, speculation is at an all-time high for what Robert Kraft would do to help turn things around for his once-proud franchise.

After putting up a 4-13 record this past season, the team's worst win output for a season since 1992, even Bill Belichick's job, both as a general manager and as a head coach, may not be safe. Nevertheless, Belichick is remaining mum on his future, saying that he remains “under contract” with the Patriots. That, declaration, however, is a big deal in and of itself.

As Mike Reiss of ESPN pointed out, Belichick does not typically reference his contract status; this could mean that even the veteran head coach and GM knows that his standing with the Patriots is on shaky ground. For Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, this could mean that Belichick's only way out, if another team shows interest in his services, might be via trade.

Whatever the case may be on that front, Bill Belichick, being under contract as he said, is aiming to be part of the solution for the Patriots moving forward. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Belichick, in his postgame presser, said that “obviously things need to be fixed” although it's way too early to be thinking about “decisions or direction for next year”. Belichick, per Rapoport, also said that “he'd be open to relinquishing personnel control” if it could help the team.

It's still to early to tell what the future holds for Belichick and the Patriots; the 71-year old has been the team's head coach since 2000, so his potential departure won't be an easy decision for anyone involved. Belichick doesn't even want to discuss the hypothetical scenario in which he coaches another team in 2024. But the Patriots brass, after a lack of improvement since 2021, may have to make a seismic change, even if it means that there is no “good” in goodbye.