The Patriots’ Implosion: Belichick Tells All: Patriots’ Legend Discusses Shocking Departure and Mayo’s Firing

Roughly 12 months after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft parted ways with living legend Bill Belichick, Kraft fired first-year head coach Jerod Mayo on Sunday following New England’s 4-13 season.

During the latest edition of the “Let’s Go!” SiriusXM show and podcast, Belichick spoke with broadcaster Jim Gray about Kraft’s moves over the past two offseasons.

“You need that shared vision between ownership and the coaching and scouting. And that’s when you can be successful,” Belichick explained, as shared by Chris Mason of MassLive. “I had that up until about the last four years in New England. And when you have that shared vision and everybody pulling in the same direction, you have a chance and you can get a lot done. And even if you don’t win at all, you’re still really competitive.”

Belichick and Tom Brady famously guided the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships from 2001 through February 2019, but it’s now no secret that Belichick’s treatment of Brady across their final few years together resulted in the quarterback leaving New England as a free agent in March 2020.

Brady ultimately earned a seventh career Super Bowl ring in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Belichick’s Patriots missed the playoffs three times across four years without Brady.

Kraft seemingly blamed Belichick for Brady’s exit and for the fact that signal-caller Mac Jones regressed after the 2021 first-round draft pick earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie. Meanwhile, Belichick noted on Monday that people involved with an organization “going in different directions” makes it “really hard to keep up with” the best teams in the league.

“I think when you don’t have any continuity, it’s really hard to build,” Belichick continued. “It’s hard to scout players because you have new coaches every year. It’s hard to keep and acquire players and keep a consistent scheme when there are so many changes. …So it’s not always the head coach. Sometimes it’s other members of the staff. It’s hard without any continuity, it really is.

One can only guess what would have been for the Patriots had Belichick and/or Kraft convinced Brady to sign a final contract with the club following the 2019 season. The end of that working relationship proved to be the beginning of the end of Belichick’s New England tenure, and it now seems he won’t ever receive another opportunity to serve as a head coach at the highest level.