Bill Belichick Open To Giving Up GM Duties To Stay With Patriots

With his job status in question after the worst season of his Patriots tenure, Bill Belichick indicated he’d be willing to alter his role if he returns for 2024.

Asked if he’d be willing to relinquish control of New England’s personnel, the longtime head coach said he’d be open to any setup he and team owner Robert Kraft agree is best for the franchise.

“Look, I’m for whatever we decide collectively as an organization is the best thing to help our football team,” Belichick said Monday in his end-of-season video conference. “I have multiple roles in that, and I rely on a lot of people to help me in those responsibilities. Somebody’s got to have the final say. I have it. I rely on a lot of other people to help. Whatever that process is, I’m only part of it.”

The Patriots are the only NFL team that does not employ a separate head coach and general manager, with Belichick filling both of those roles since his hiring in 2000. Their roster has lacked high-end talent in recent years, especially on offense, due to poor drafting and a string of failed free agent signings.

New England, which closed out a 4-13 season Sunday with a home loss to the New York Jets, enters the offseason with major questions at quarterback, wide receiver and offensive tackle.

Belichick, who noted Monday that he is under contract for next season, plans to meet with Kraft at least once to discuss his future with the franchise. He said the 2023 campaign was “not anywhere close to what our standards and expectations are.”

“Obviously,” he said, “things need to be fixed.”

Keeping Belichick on as head coach while hiring an official GM — perhaps one with prior Patriots ties, like Dave Ziegler, Thomas Dimitroff or Jon Robinson — is one possible path forward that would keep the greatest coach in NFL history in New England.