The end has come.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s 24-year reign in Foxborough came to an amicable end Thursday morning as both Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Belichick himself will be holding a noon news conference to officially announce his departure.
This season, Belichick posted his worst record in New England at 4-13. Belichick, Kraft and former quarterback Tom Brady all left their mark in Massachusetts with the greatest run for a franchise in NFL history, having won 17 AFC East Division titles, 13 AFC Championship appearances, nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl titles, the most ever by any head coach in the league.
Currently, Belichick ranks second in all-time career wins as a head coach with 333, 14 behind former Miami coach Don Shula (347). DraftKings Massachusetts has posted odds on where Belichick will coach next. Him sitting out next season is the current favorite at +175. If he is to coach, the L.A. Chargers are the top team at +200.
But what about New England as it begins its first head coaching search and hire since 2000. BetMassachusetts.com compiled probable odds on who that might be. Here is the latest:
Next New England Patriots Coach Odds
According to ESPN, the other 31 NFL teams have used 162 head coaches in 224 total coaching stints since the Patriots hired Bill Belichick in 2000.
Vrabel Now Available for Patriots
Just two days ago, Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel was let go in Nashville and is the current favorite (+300, 25% chance) to succeed Belichick in New England. The recent inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame is very familiar with the landscape in New England and is beloved by the fanbase, having won three Super Bowl titles and was a Pro Bowler in his eight seasons there.
Current Patriots linebacker coach Jerod Mayo is a very close second (+400, 20%) to become the Pats' new head coach. Beloved in New England as well, the Pats first-round draft pick in 2008 spent his entire eight-year career in New England, winning one Super Bowl and garnering two Pro Bowl selections.
The remaining top five: Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores (+700, 12.5%); current Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien (+1000, 9.1%) and Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy (+1200, 7.7%).
One thing is for certain, the NFL will never be the same.
Despite Thursday’s news, if you still want to wager on the NFL Playoffs, Massachusetts sports betting sites list San Francisco as the Super Bowl favorite at +225. Baltimore is second at +325.
