Everything Bill Belichick Said About Future After Patriots’ Week 18 Loss

FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick knew the questions were coming.

Arriving at the podium about an hour after the Patriots’ season-ending loss to the New York Jets, New England’s head coach said he’d take questions about the game but delay any talk about his future with the organization until after he meets with team owner Robert Kraft this week.

“It’s a disappointing year for all of us,” Belichick said after the 17-3 defeat at Gillette Stadium. “Players, coaches, staff, the entire organization. Not anything that any of us are in any way content with, but it is what it is.

“I’ll address some questions on the game. As far as the future goes, I’ll sit down with Robert as I do every year at some point at the end of the season, and we’ll talk about things as we always do. I’m sure that’ll happen. But that’s really about all I have to say about that right now because there isn’t anything else to talk about.”

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Belichick proceeded to swat away subsequent queries about whether he hoped to remain with the Patriots and whether the end of Sunday’s game felt any different for him.

“I just finished the game here with the Jets, put everything I had into it, and I’m disappointed in the results,” Belichick said.

New England finished the season with a 4-13 record — its worst record since 1992 — and placed last in the AFC East for the first time since 2000, Belichick’s debut season as head coach. Sunday’s loss also snapped the Patriots’ 15-game winning streak over the Jets, a franchise Belichick has long despised.

Belichick was asked whether the miserable campaign “took any of the wind out of (his) sails as far as the effort it takes to coach.”

“No,” he replied. “I enjoy coaching. As I said, it was a disappointing season. I covered that in the opening statement. I don’t have anything to add. That’s how I feel. But I still like coaching the team. I like preparing the team, game-planning, coaching on Sundays. But the results weren’t good, and none of us are happy with those.”

Patriots players confirmed that, saying Belichick’s intensity and commitment never wavered even as New England sank to the bottom of the AFC standings. Special teams captain Matthew Slater, who appears likely to retire this offseason, said those who witnessed the Patriots’ preparation for Sunday’s game “would have thought we were preparing for the AFC Championship Game.”

Belichick is scheduled to address reporters again in an end-of-season video conference Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. ET. The exact timing of his sitdown with Kraft had yet to be reported as of Sunday evening.