Patriots Rumors: Robert Kraft’s Initial Plan For Bill Belichick’s Exit

The Patriots' horrific 2023 season forced Robert Kraft to tweak his reported initial plan for Bill Belichick.

A bombshell report surfaced Monday indicating New England will finish the campaign and then move on from Belichick, who effectively has been a dead man walking since the Patriots' embarrassing trip to Germany. But according to ESPN's Dan Graziano, Kraft didn't go into this season thinking it was going to be Belichick's swan song in Foxboro, Mass.

"Sources close to the Patriots believe Kraft's plan entering this season was for Belichick to coach two more seasons and have Mayo take over in 2025," Graziano wrote. "Belichick entered the season needing 18 wins to catch Shula for most career victories (regular season and postseason combined) among NFL coaches, and the thought was he could get that done in two seasons."

Mayo replacing Belichick reportedly is the "most likely outcome" for the Patriots, though Graziano's report makes it sound like that plan isn't close to being set in stone. There's also a chance a more appealing coaching candidate -- like former New England linebacker Mike Vrabel -- becomes available to Kraft and company.

So, there still is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Patriots head coaching position, including how the organization would go about cutting ties with arguably the greatest in the history of the profession. But a stockpile of reports dating back to early fall suggests it won't be Belichick leading New England in 2024 and beyond.