Bill Belichick will leave the New England Patriots on his own terms

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots had a really rough 2022. Nobody is denying that or even trying to sugarcoat that. Bad decisions were made by the head coach and the assistant coaches that he hand-picked. The team finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs by one game.

It seems like it would be fair to criticize the head coach and general manager. He certainly deserves criticism, and he even takes responsibility for every slip-up the team made last year.

He will also take the blame for all the bad throws his quarterback made that weren't actually Belichick's fault. He holds himself accountable, and we should also hold him responsible as fans.

It does seem, however, that Patriots Nation has forgotten that he is one year removed from making the playoffs with a rookie quarterback. Everywhere you turn, there's a new blog or article about how Bill Belichick should hang it up. Every talking head on ESPN or Fox Sports says Bill Belichick is on the hot seat.

Even here at Musket Fire, some think his relationship with owner Robert Kraft is so strained that his time as the head coach and general manager is ending.

Nothing could be further from the truth, but that won't stop these prisoners of the moment from playing make-believe. Bill Belichick isn't going anywhere. In fact, Bill Belichick is not going to go anywhere until he decides how, when, and why he is going.

Bill Belichick is going to leave New England on his own terms. Not on the player's terms, the owner's terms, and certainly not on the fan's terms.

People forget that the biggest New England Patriots fan might be team owner Robert Kraft. He purchased the team and kept it from being moved, and thanks to Bill Belichick, he was able to hang six banners in Gillette.

Yes, the Patriots had the greatest quarterback of all time. They also had a top-10 defense almost every year for the past 25 years. That is thanks to the coaching, drafting, and signing abilities of Coach Belichick.

Brady owes as much of his success to his head coach as the coach does to him. It has been a symbiotic relationship from the beginning, and neither is solely responsible for the team's success.

Belichick has a career record of 329 - 165. In the next two seasons, he will become the winningest head coach in the history of the NFL. Combined with the world championships, that's the kind of resume that gets you a lifetime contract with any team. Unbreakable by anyone but him.

But do you want to talk about last season? Okay, let's talk about last season.

They had one of the top defenses in the league. They lost four games by 7 points or less. The Patriots were four touchdowns away from being 12- 5. Do you want to send him packing for that? Do you think he's on the hot seat because of that?

Let's be realistic for a second.

Marvin Lewis only had seven winning seasons, never won a single playoff game, and was allowed to coach 16 years for the same team. There is no way the guy responsible for hanging six banners for the New England Patriots will be out after one or two bad years.

Do you want to know how Bill Belichick is going to leave town?

Whatever way he chooses to. If he wants a parade after a 0-17 season, he will get one.

People are going to complain about his draft picks. People are going to complain about his lack of spending in free agency. People are going to complain about his coaching hires. And yet, at the end of the day, those people will have to stare at him on the sidelines game after game until he doesn't want them to anymore.

It will be his decision and only his decision when he walks away.