Over the weekend, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson announced that head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas both would be back in 2024. Bill Belichick has received no such public assurance from Patriots owner Robert Kraft. With two weeks remaining in New England’s 2023 season, it remains unclear how Kraft plans to […]
Over the weekend, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson announced that head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas both would be back in 2024.
Bill Belichick has received no such public assurance from Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
With two weeks remaining in New England’s 2023 season, it remains unclear how Kraft plans to proceed with Belichick, who has served as the team’s head coach and de facto general manager since 2000.
Belichick was asked Tuesday whether he’d appreciate an endorsement like the one Saleh and Douglas received. Unsurprisingly, he did not comment on the matter, saying he’s focused on correcting mistakes from Sunday night’s 26-23 road win over the Denver Broncos and preparing for this Sunday’s road matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
“I don’t really know anything about the Jets situation,” Belichick said during an appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “I don’t know anything about that. (Going) to get ready for Buffalo here. Go back over the Denver game, make some corrections on that and talk about things we could have done better, things we need to build on, and then move on to Buffalo. That’s what I’m doing.”
Pressed about Kraft’s silence, Belichick added:
“Yeah, my job is to get the team ready to play every week that’s what I do. That’s what I’m going to keep doing. That’s what I’ve always done.”
Last week, Belichick sidestepped a question about whether he feels like he has Kraft’s support.
“I think any questions you have for Mr. Kraft, you should ask Mr. Kraft,” he said in an earlier WEEI interview.
Kraft, who said in March that he wanted and expected the Patriots to be back in the playoffs this season, has not made any public comments related to Belichick’s job security or New England’s struggles.
The Patriots sit at 4-11 following their Christmas Eve win in Denver. They were eliminated from postseason contention weeks ago, extending their streak of consecutive seasons without a playoff win to five.
The 6-9 Jets also are out of the playoff hunt. New York, which lost starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers minutes into the season, has not qualified for the postseason or finished above .500 since Douglas arrived in 2019. Saleh is 17-32 in his three seasons as head coach.
The Patriots will host the Jets at Gillette Stadium in a Week 18 matchup that could be Belichick’s final game on New England’s sideline.
