Fitting for Jets to be in town for Belichick’s likely finale | Guregian
Newly-hired New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick, left, shakes hands with Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, seconds before the start of a news conference at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., held to announce Belichick’s hiring Thursday, Jan. 27, 2000. Belichick was hired Thursday after New England gave the New York Jets a first-round draft pick to let the former defensive coordinator out of his contract. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Flash back to January 4, 2000.
That’s when history in New York and New England was forever changed.
That was the date, 24 years ago, almost to the day, when Bill Belichick was supposed to be introduced as the head coach of the New York Jets.
Only, Belichick took a U-turn and flipped that press conference upside down on a day no one will ever forget in the Big Apple and beyond.
Instead of talking about his vision for the franchise, Belichick scribbled on a piece of paper — maybe even a napkin — that he was resigning as the “HC of the NYJ,” handed the sheet to the team’s higher-ups, held a press conference, and that was the end of a bizarre tale.
He was the head coach of the Jets for what amounted to 24 hours after serving as the team’s defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells. The tabloids naturally had a field day, with the back page of the New York Post featuring the headline: “Belichicken.”
The story, however, was far from over.
After Belichick flew the coop, Patriots owner Robert Kraft swooped in, and 23 days later, finalized a deal where the Jets traded the rights to their “head coach” to New England for a 2000 first-round pick, along with late-round swaps.
Who knew that would go down one of the greatest trades of all time, if not the greatest.
More than two decades later, however, it looks like Kraft’s coup is about to come full circle.
With six championships in his back pocket, and the Jets in town for the 2023 season finale, Belichick and the Patriots are at a crossroads. For the first time, his future in New England is uncertain. With Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft expected to meet Monday to discuss the plan going forward, it’s possible this could be the Hoodie’s swan song at the helm of the Patriots.
Belichick might be on his way out as “HC of the NEP” – without the benefit of a handwritten note.
Call it karma, call it fate. Perhaps it’s even a bit poetic this could be Belichick’s final game coaching the Patriots given the history between the teams.
There’s no team Belichick loathes more than the Jets. It’s also possible there’s no coach the Jets loathe more than Belichick, who has beaten them 15 straight times.
To this point, Kraft hasn’t uttered a peep about his plans for the head coach. Speculation, however, has run rampant in recent weeks, with one report suggesting the decision to part with Belichick was made after the loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.
