Is 2020 Bill Belichick’s Final Year? Odds Favor Patriots’ Coach Returning for 2021 Season
- Will Bill Belichick still be the head coach of the New England Patriots at the start of the 2021 NFL season?
- Odds heavily favor “Yes” at -250
- Is there any value betting on the six-time Super Bowl-winner leaving at the end of the year?
Ask not for whom the Bill tolls. Bill Belichick is a Patriot, through and through.
Yes, he coached the Cleveland Browns. He even served for one day as head coach of the New York Jets.
It doesn’t matter. Belichick’s name and brand will always be associated with the New England Patriots.
It’s a label that figures to remain affixed for at least another season, according to a prop bet on offer. The odds on whether Belichick will still be the Pats’ head coach at the start of 2021 heavily favor “Yes” at -250. A “No” wager would pay out at +200.
Odds Bill Belichick Is Coach of the New England Patriots in 2021
| Outcome | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -250 |
| No | +200 |
Odds as of Sept. 8th.
Belichick has coached the Patriots since the 2000 season.
Bill of Fare
Surprisingly, Belichick didn’t start winning in New England from the moment he began prowling the Patriots’ sideline. A 5-11 first year on the job was hardly a sign of things to come, though.
In 2001, the Pats won their first AFC East title in the Belichick era. They have won 18 division titles under his leadership, including an ongoing streak of 17 in a row.
The team has made the playoffs in 17 of Belichick’s 20 seasons in charge. They’ve won six Super Bowls, reached three more, and played in 14 AFC Championship Games.
Belichick has personally been named NFL Coach of the Year three times, and he’s favored to win the award this season.
Belichick Figures to Be Fired Up
Try to imagine Abbott without Costello, Bert minus Ernie, or Peaches sans Herb. It just wouldn’t be the same.
Yet this year, the Patriots’ Killer Bs have gone their separate ways. Tom Brady, Belichick’s quarterback through all the success in New England, is now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
One oddsmaker has it more likely Bill Belichick leaves NE in 2021 than he returns. On @OMFonWEEI, Belichick was asked about it: "Yeah, I am just trying to get ready for Miami. I don't know. Long-term for me would be Sunday."
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) September 7, 2020
It’s time to find out who made the other great. Was Brady a legend because he was operating in Belichick’s system, or did Brady’s talent make Belichick’s system so effective?
These are two proud men. Rumors of their departures from the game have been speculated about for years. You know they both want to prove this season that they can make it big without the other.
It’s His Call
Belichick is to the Patriots what Tom Landry was to the Dallas Cowboys and Don Shula was to the Miami Dolphins. They aren’t coaches as much as they are icons, part and parcel in the fabric of the franchise’s legacy.
Ultimately, what pushed both Landy and Shula out the door were ownership changes. That’s not happening in New England.
Proving it was all Belichick. https://t.co/ciX8gOUNG9
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) September 7, 2020
Patriots owner Robert Kraft insists there’s never been discussions with Belichick about the future. As long as Belichick wants to coach, it appears that Kraft is okay with that.
A New Lease on Life
With Brady gone, Belichick has a completely different weapon to unleash upon the opposition in the the elusive Cam Newton.
Belichick has spoken effusively about what Newton brings to the football field. He appears genuinely excited by the challenge ahead and proving wrong those are waiting for the Brady-less Patriots to fail.
.@ShannonSharpe on what he expects from Cam Newton and the Patriots:
"I expect Cam to play well and the Patriots to win the Division. There's no way they're going 5-11. Coach Belichick can't stop praising Cam. He's praised him more in 1 month than he did Brady in 20 years." pic.twitter.com/OZZCMzC6GF
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) September 8, 2020
This is an old dog who’s always willing to learn new tricks. He’s not going anywhere.
Foxboro figures to be The Hoodie’s hood for as long as he wants it to be.
Pick: Yes (-250)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
