The New England Patriots haven't won a playoff game in three years, and Bill Belichick turns 70 in April. But make no mistake: He's not going anywhere.
The longtime Patriots head coach was asked Monday morning if he ponders whether to keep coaching on a yearly basis. Belichick's answer suggested retirement is the last thing on his mind.
"Nobody said it was ever 'year-to-year' or something else. I never said that," Belichick told WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show." "Look, I enjoy the job that I have and I do everything I can to try to help the team. That's what I've always done. That's what I'll continue to do."
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Belichick confirmed he'll be back for the 2022 season the day after the Patriots' 47-17 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round. That's no surprise, but considering Belichick is the NFL's second-oldest head coach (behind Bruce Arians) and has gone 17-16 in two seasons since Tom Brady's exit, it's worth wondering how many years he has left in him.
But Belichick indicated Monday morning he still finds his work very rewarding.
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"For me, I enjoy the job," Belichick said. "It’s challenging, but I enjoy all aspects of it. Robert and Jonathan [Kraft] have been very supportive and they’ve given me great opportunity to try and do the things we need to do to have a good team."
While the Patriots lost four of their last five games in an uncharacteristic late-season free-fall, there's still plenty of hope for the future thanks to quarterback Mac Jones, who enjoyed a strong rookie season.
There's also plenty of work to be done with an aging veteran core and major needs on both sides of the ball. That combination of optimism and the need for improvement should keep Belichick plenty invested in his job, which he doesn't seem ready to part with any time soon.