Patriots’ Bill Belichick Says It’s ‘Accurate’ He Wants to Coach in 2022

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

Despite a disappointing finish to the season, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he plans to coach again in 2022.

“I’d say that would be accurate,” the 69-year-old said about returning next season.

The Patriots went 10-7 in 2021, but the postseason run came to an early end Saturday with a 47-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. New England has now gone three years without a playoff win after reaching at least the AFC Championship Game in the previous eight seasons.

Belichick is already considered one of the best coaches of all time with six Super Bowl titles and nine conference championships. His 31 playoff wins are 11 more than anyone else in NFL history. He also ranks third all time with 290 wins and needs 38 more to match Don Shula for the NFL record.

Perhaps the only thing left to prove is that he can win it all without Tom Brady leading the offense.

But despite the lopsided first-round loss to Buffalo, the Patriots do have a team set up for future success. The defense ranked No. 2 in the NFL in points allowed (17.8), while the offense was sixth in scoring (27.2) behind rookie quarterback Mac Jones and young running backs Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson.

New England does have a few key free agents to worry about, including cornerback J.C. Jackson and safety Devin McCourty, but the talent is there to compete for a title in 2022.