The Patriots will formally announce the departure of Bill Belichick today at noon.
Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft will both address the media at a press conference, the team announced.
That Belichick and Kraft will appear together underscores the Patriots’ emphasis that Belichick’s exit was a mutual decision. Kraft isn’t saying he fired Belichick, and Belichick isn’t saying he retired. Instead, they’re both saying goodbye.
Belichick will certainly be asked about his future plans, and whether he expects to be an NFL head coach in 2024. There are seven other teams that currently don’t have a head coach, and more could be coming. If Belichick wants to coach this year, there’s a very good chance that some owner will want to hire him.
But Belichick and Kraft will likely focus today on the past, not the future. The Patriots won an unprecedented six Super Bowls with Belichick as their head coach, and they’ll celebrate that before Belichick moves on.