Belichick to Return

Image by Barry Chin/Globe Staff

Despite rumors of his retirement, Bill Belichick announced after the loss to Buffalo on Sunday that he would be returning in 2023 as New England’s head coach for his 24th campaign.

With his return, Belichick will have lots to think about in the form of the draft and coaching staff. 

The 2022 season didn’t go as planned, to say the least, as the Patriots were unable to improve on their 2021 performance in which they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs.  

With Belichick at the helm and Tom Brady as the quarterback position, the New England Patriots had 17 playoff appearances in 18 seasons. However, the team has only seen one playoff appearance since Brady left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Since Belichick is choosing to remain, fans are calling for a better coaching staff. Andrew Holleran, an MSN reporter, wrote that fans are calling for the hiring of a new offensive coordinator to take Matt Patricia’s spot. Part of the rebuilding of the franchise was the firing of Patricia which has made fans very excited for what’s to come. 

Holleran reported that fans tweeted “’please hire an actual OC’” and called for “’filling the coaching roles with qualified personnel instead of sycophants.’” 

As the offseason for New England continues, Belichick and the rest of the coaching staff will have to focus on possible replacements of at least five veteran players including Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, Jakobi Meyers, Jonathan Jones, and Damien Harris. The latter three of which are moving on to the end of their contracts and towards free agency.  

Regardless of whether players leave or not, it seems like New England is making moves to better its players and bring hope to fans for next season.