The Patriots’ decision to part ways with Bill Belichick on Thursday didn’t necessarily come as a surprise after several weeks of rumors that the 2023 season would be the head coach’s last in New England.
It looks like Belichick also expected to be out in New England prior to the end of the season. The former Patriots head coach had people “on his behalf back-channeling” for other possible jobs in recent weeks, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported on “The NFL Today.”
Rumors of the end of Belichick’s 24-year tenure in New England began to pick up steam in December, when a report from NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E.