Bill Belichick Exit Might Not 'End Gracefully,' Says Former Patriots Player

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick's future with the organization is unclear at the moment, but if his Week 18 loss to the New York Jets was his final game with the organization, one of his former players sees a parallel.

In an appearance on Good Morning Football (GMFB) following the Patriots' 17-3 loss to the Jets, Jason McCourty—who spent three seasons in New England—noted that Belichick's long-time quarterback Tom Brady also had a Patriots finale that was notably not notable.

Brady's final throw as a member of the Patriots was a pick-six to his former teammate, Logan Ryan, in a playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans.

"As you're watching the game, the snow is falling, it's an ugly game, there's no points scored, Breece Hall is jetting down the sideline, 15-game winning streak is snapped against the Jets," McCourty said.

"And [GMFB commentator Peter Schrager], something you said last week as we talked about Tom Brady's last game with the New England Patriots, it was a pick-six by Logan Ryan, and one thing you said was, 'These things don't always end gracefully, and you ride out on this white horse' or anything. It was ugly yesterday, and they didn't get the victory."

Schrager agreed with McCourty.

"At the end [of the game], there's this moment of like a handshake with [Jets coach Robert] Saleh, but no real words," Schrager said. "It was very short, and you're like, 'Is that how it ends?'"

In his end-of-season press conference the morning after the loss, Belichick—who has won six Super Bowls with the Patriots—told reporters he will meet with owner Robert Kraft soon, which is normal after a season ends.

"I'm under contract," Belichick told reporters. "I'm going to do what I always do, which is every day I come in, work as hard as I can to help the team in whatever way I can."

Belichick did not say whether he plans to be back next season or whether Patriots owner Kraft has said anything about his job security. He did say he is "heavily invested" in the organization.

The GMFB crew wanted to hear more direct questions. McCourty noted that NFL reporter Judy Battista asked Belichick if he wanted to continue coaching, and Belichick answered that he still enjoys the process of the job.

"So we know that part of it," McCourty said. "But yeah, as you listen [to the press conference], you know Bill is not going to come out and just say different things about the future, and the fact that in that clip we have, he wasn't asked about it, we don't gain anything from it. We know it was a disappointing season, we watched it all develop throughout the season. But who knows, man?"

Schrager noted that Belichick generally makes it a point not to mention his contract.

"Never mentioned his contract," Schrager said. "'I'm under contract.' He's never talked about A) how many years he's under contract, the money he makes, all this stuff. I've never heard him say, 'I'm under contract.' So to me, that one thing stands out."

The Patriots wrapped up their season 4-13. They have the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.