Super Bowl 53: Which New England Patriots might retire?

Bill Belichick

Right around this time last year, reports surfaced that Bill Belichick had a fairly firm retirement date in mind. He wasn’t about to share it with any of us, of course, but supposedly it was common knowledge between the surly head coach and team owner Robert Kraft.

“We have a pact that we don’t talk about that,” Kraft told the Washington Post. “He knows and I know. But he won’t be done this year.”

The 66-year-old was once again asked about his future with the franchise during Super Bowl 53 Opening Night, as well as during his media appearance on Tuesday. True to form, the notoriously tight-lipped Belichick didn’t shed much light on the situation.

While it’s not quite as comforting as Brady’s videotaped vow to return next year, it still bodes well for New Englanders keeping their fingers crossed that the greatest coach of all time returns in 2019.

Belichick hasn’t shown any signs or indications that this season could be his last, and some theorists even wonder whether he might continue coaching long after Brady retires. There’s an idea that Belichick might want to prove to the world that he’s more responsible for the Patriots’ success than his quarterback – it’s what’s at the heart of the whole Jimmy Garoppolo trade drama, after all, and the famous Seth Wickersham report on discord at One Patriot Place.

If Bill Belichick does win Super Bowl 53 and gets to rechristen his boat “VIII Rings,” it sounds like there’s at least a better-than-average chance he’ll return for his 20th season as head coach of the New England Patriots.