Bill Belichick’s future remains the biggest long-term question that looms over the Patriots. He’s only 17 wins away from surpassing Don Shula’s all-time record, and it’s widely believed he wants to break that mark.
Towards the end of last season, there were questions about whether Belichick would last in New England long enough to become the all-time wins leader. But with the coaching staff undergoing a needed facelift — most notably, hiring Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and increasing Jerod Mayo’s role — the Patriots are seemingly positioning themselves for a rebound 2023 campaign.
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Still, Belichick will turn 71 years old this spring. On the latest edition of NBC Sports Boston’s “Patriots Talk” podcast, Patriots Insider Tom Curran predicts that Belichick will remain on the sidelines for only a couple of more seasons.
Then Curran expects Mayo to take over.
“I do think they’ll find success with O’Brien, and by the end of 2024, he will have caught Shula,” said Curran. "After 2024, he will move upstairs — this is full-on predictions, not guesses — he’ll move onto more of an advisory role and Jerod Mayo will take over as head coach.”
Though Mayo may not have a new title next season — the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian reports he could remain the linebackers coach — it’s apparent he’s been given more responsibility. Last month, the Patriots announced they were in the process of signing Mayo to a new contract, and he turned down opportunities to interview for defensive coordinator and head-coaching jobs with other teams.
Mayo also reportedly participated in the offensive coordinator interviews with Belichick.
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio, who joined Curran on the podcast, said he thinks Belichick could move to another organization once his coaching days with the Patriots are over.
"One of the things I've heard is, his long-term play is to go somewhere else and be the [Bill] Parcells,” he said. “[That’s] very hard for a coach to do. It's hard for a coach to not coach. But if he adheres to 'Do Your Job," then you can do it.”
For the foreseeable future, Belichick’s job will be guiding the Patriots to as many wins as possible. After that, it’s anybody’s guess.