Bill Belichick's future as the head coach of the New England Patriots continues to be a top NFL storyline as the regular season reaches its final stages.
Belichick is under contract with the Patriots through the 2024 campaign, but with the franchise falling to the bottom of the AFC standings with a 3-10 record and not qualifying for the playoffs for the third time in the last four years, it's fair to wonder whether the two sides will part ways in some fashion at the end of the current season.
Our Patriots insider Tom E. Curran provided an update on Belichick's situation during NBC Sports Boston's Arbella Early Edition on Monday, Dec. 12.
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"When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made," Curran said. "They were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year there would be a parting of the ways, for a variety of reasons."
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NFL Network's Ian Rapoport published a new report about Belichick's future on Saturday.
"Sources say not only has owner Robert Kraft not come to a firm conclusion on what will happen next with his head-coaching situation, but the way New England finishes could go a long way in determining what's next," Rapoport wrote.
Rapoport added later in the story: "Either way, expect a period of evaluation when the regular season ends, with no immediate conclusion on Belichick coming."
On Sunday, Curran added important context to Rapoport's latest report.
"Yeah, (Rapoport) further amplifies what I'm saying by first using the words 'firm conclusion,'" Curran said on NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Pregame Live. "So he's allowing that a conclusion has been made or that somebody said, 'Hey, we haven't made a firm decision or come to a firm conclusion on what we're gonna do,' which would indicate that they're in a spot already where Bill has to come back, which is what Ian then lays out in the rest of the story: These are the circumstances under which things can stay the same for the Patriots, and it required several wins down the stretch here to get them back to a reasonable level for a disappointing and crushing season for Bill Belichick.
"I'd also add this: I think that as we look at this and Bill Belichick and the future of the Patriots, where is Ian's head at generally in this reporting? Because it was less than two months ago where Ian was saying ... there's actually conversation in New England about whether or not Bill Belichick will be back, and he went on to say that Belichick had a new multi-year contract that would lock him up long term.
"I reported that morning, no, it's not multi-year as in going into 2025 and 2026. It's only for this year and next, that's not what we would define as locking up long term. Ian later corrected that. So, it's important to see the landscape of the reporting around this, I think."
Check out the video above for more from Curran on Belichick's future.