Mike Reiss: Belichick staying feels like a “Hail Mary” at this point

Mike Reiss of ESPN joined Zolak and Bertrand to discuss the future of Bill Belichick in New England. Reiss called the coming days a "cool down period" while also gauging the likelihood of Belichick's time in New England coming to a close:

"For him, this decision should be about one thing. What franchise and ownership culture gives me the best chance to win as head coach? Are The Krafts perfect? No. At the same time. Look around the NFL. I don't think any of these jobs are perfect. Mike Vrabel when he came here, remember what he said in October? 'This is a special place. Great leadership, great direction. I've been a lot of places and it's not like this everywhere.'.

"So if I'm Belichick and I've come out of my tunnel visioned approach and I'm assessing the big picture and considering my next move, Vrabel's remarks would be in the back of my mind and I'd be open to support. Trying to work this thing out.

"It feels to me, like a Hail Mary at this point. The belief that I get from being down there is that people think this is nearing an end. But they say, look, it's never over till it's over. And I always leave open that possibility."

"I've been trying to probe on, well, does he even want to stay? Because I feel like there are some things over the last couple years, culture wise, that don't align to me with my view of what he believes in. And so I think to me that's like, well, that's why I like what? So, so when that press release came out last year about Jerod Mayo. Did that strike you as a Bill Belichick-type thing? And if you're Bill, and I have no idea if Bill Belichick feels this way. But would it surprise you if Bill Belichick, when all is said and done and he's writing a memoir about his time with the Patriots, said, 'I felt like that press release undermined me because it empowered another coach on the staff and created a division within the building.'"

Down the stretch of the 2023 NFL season, few topics have been discussed more than the future of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. But while the outside noise builds with the end of the season, only two people will ultimately decide Belichick's fate in New England - himself and his boss, Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Belichick and Kraft are expected to meet on Monday for their annual post-season meeting where they discuss the state of the team, which would include Belichick's future. Ahead of that meeting Belichick spoke with reports on Monday morning, and sounded like somebody who both wants to and plans to remain with the Patriots' organization.

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"Obviously things need to be fixed," Belichick said in his opening statement. "I'm under contract. 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. So, that's what I'm going to continue to do."

Belichick spoke multiple times about the future of the organization, as somebody who sounds like he plans to be a part of it. "I think we have some things that we can build on. I think there are some things that we need to to fix and change," he said at one point when asked how much injuries impacted the overall picture of the 2023 season.

That continued on to when he was asked if he'd be surprised if Kraft ultimately doesn't want to bring him back.

"I'm going to focus on what I am going to control and focus on," Belichick replied. "That's my work ethic and my effort to do what I can to help the Patriots organization, which I'm heavily invested in."

Perhaps most notably, Belichick didn't dismiss the idea of a diminished role when it comes to his work in the front office. Belichick has served as the Patriots de facto GM for most of his career in New England, but a series of unsuccessful drafts (he hasn't re-signed a top 100 pick since 2013) and free agent classes are among the leading reasons a change is even being discussed.

"I'm for whatever collectively we decided as an organization is the best thing to help our football team," he said when asked if he'd be open to relinquishing personnel responsibilities. "I have multiple roles in that, and I rely on a lot of people to help me in those responsibilities - somebody's got to have the final say."

Despite mentioning that "final say," Belichick did also seem to take the moment at the end of that answer to spread some of the blame for the team's recent personnel issues. "I have - I rely on a lot of other people to help," he added. "Whatever that process is, I'm only part of it."

Belichick also declined to answer a question when asked if he'd be open to coaching elsewhere, saying "I'm not going to get into a lot of hypothetical situations."

While Belichick did sound like somebody who plans to be here for the future, he didn't get into exactly what he sees that future looking like. "As far as any decisions or direction for next year, it's way too early for that," he noted in his opening statement. Later, when asked about the 'organizational culture,' Belichick replied "I think we'll evaluate everything, and take a course that we feel like collectively puts us on the path to success."

Will Belichick be in Foxborough helping to lead that new path? That's now the question everyone is waiting on the answer for. Belichick and Kraft will meet on Monday to discuss the future, with Belichick saying that the highly-anticipated 'meeting' could actually be "a series of meetings" over the next few days.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.