Patriots' Bill Belichick says he will return for 2022 season

New England Patriots head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick is turning 70 in April, but he's planning on coming back for another season.

"I'd say that would be accurate," Belichick said Sunday morning when asked if he'd return for another year.

While that's not the most definitive statement about giving it another go, Belichick's rarely one to be emphatic about anything. Especially a day after the Patriots suffered one of the worst losses in playoff history. New England was eliminated from the postseason Saturday night with a 47-17 defeat at the hands of Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

Belichick is the second oldest coach in the NFL behind only Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks, who turned 70 in September. Belichick is second in NFL history in coaching wins (including playoffs) and needs 27 more to pass Don Shula for the record. He already owns the record for Super Bowl wins as a coach with six.

The Patriots finished 7-9 in their first season after Tom Brady's departure, but improved to finish the 2021 regular season with a 10-7 record.