Insider says Colts loss may have decided head coach Bill Belichick’s fate in New England

Belichick was asked last week whether he feels he’s coaching for his job the rest of the season, to which he replied he was only going to focus on what he could control, but SI.com’s Albert Breer believes the writing is on the wall for the 71-year-old head coach.

“I think, honestly, if I'm Robert Kraft right now, I may go to Bill and say, ‘How do you want to do this?’” Breer said, via NBC Sports Boston. “I think it's gotten to that point where they should be able to sit down and level with each other and say, ‘Do you want to sever it now and let Jerod Mayo coach out the season? Do you want to go to the end of the season and we can announce it in December and have a nice ceremony for you for the last home game, or do you want to do this the hard way? And we get to the end of the year and then I've got to make a decision on you one way or the other.’”

With the Patriots on a bye this week before returning to action on Nov. 26 against the New York Giants, it could be the perfect time for Kraft and Belichick to hash out his exit strategy if that is indeed the direction the organization chooses to go.

If Belichick were to become a free agent, he would likely have a list of suitors lining up for his services with as many as 10 teams possibly looking for new head coaches next year.

“There are a couple of teams that he's been connected to enough where you wonder, Washington, Dallas — I think if there's an opportunity out there for him and he wants to coach next year, it'll probably be lined up at least to some degree ahead of time,” Breer added.

If Belichick is coaching for a new team in 2024, it won’t come without a cost to his new employer. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that Kraft would want some sort of compensation for any team that hires Belichick.