Patriots Rumors: This ‘Decision’ Already Made About Bill Belichick

A divorce between Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots reportedly is imminent.

NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran on Monday reported Patriots owner Robert Kraft plans -- and has planned for weeks -- to part ways with Belichick once the 2023 season concludes.

"When they came out of (the Nov. 12 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in) Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made," Curran said on "Arbella Early Edition." "They were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year, there would be a parting of the ways, for a variety of reasons."

Curran went on to note Kraft's aversion to firing the legendary head coach during the season and the fact that Belichick, who reportedly is under contract through 2024, is a potentially tradable asset.

"And it had gone too far," Curran added. "The Germany game. The Commanders game. The Saints game. All huge, marquee games. And then there was the Chargers game after that. Just because they won last week in Pittsburgh, I don't think it quells anything."

Kraft said last offseason that he wanted and expected the Patriots to be, at the very least, back in the playoffs in 2023. He sent a letter to season-ticket holders promising "critical evaluations of all elements of our football operation" and "an improved product on the field."

But rather than improving, New England got worse. The team already surpassed its loss total from last season (nine) and was eliminated from playoff contention with four games remaining -- its earliest ouster since 2000. The Patriots now have missed the postseason in three of the last four years and have not won a playoff game since Super Bowl LIII in February 2019.

At 3-10, the Patriots are on track to land the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which would be the franchise's highest since it took Drew Bledsoe first overall in 1993. If Curran's report proves accurate, Belichick won't be around to make that selection.

New England's final four games are home against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday, at Denver and Buffalo, and home against Belichick's hated New York Jets in Week 18.