What a long and incredibly successful trip for Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots. Considered one of the best defensive minds in football, Belchick's first go-round as a head coach in Cleveland was met with limited success - just one winning season and one playoff appearance in five years, eventually leading to his dismissal in 1995. Five years later, he got his second chance and made the most of it. Here's a look at some key dates over the last 24 years.
January 4, 2000 - Belichick resigns as "HC of the NYJ" without having coached a game for the Jets in that position, citing uncertainties about ownership (the team was about to be sold to Woody Johnson). "One of the not only most defining, but one of the great moments of my career," he said later.
January 27, 2000 - Jets Director of Football Operations, Bill Parcells, formally agrees to allow the Patriots to speak to Belichick about their head coach vacancy. That deal was quickly cemented, with the Pats dealing away a future first-round pick and additional draft capital to hire Belichick as their head coach, replacing Pete Carroll.
April 2000 - Shortly after being named the Patriots' head coach, Belichick selected a quarterback with the 199th pick in the NFL Draft, Tom Brady.
September 30, 2001 - Brady makes his first start, filling in for the injured Drew Bledsoe. The Pats beat the Colts 44-13. Bledsoe would later return to health, but Belichick would stick with the second-year quarterback over the veteran.
January 19, 2002 - In Brady's first postseason game, the 11-5 Patriots beat the Raiders in the "Snow Bowl" or "Tuck Rule" game.
February 3, 2002 - In a rematch of a regular-season matchup the Pats lost, Belichick and the defense stun the "Greatest Show on Turf" 20-17 to win the first Super Bowl title in franchise history.
2003 and 2004 - Belichick pilots the Pats to back-to-back Super Bowl wins, including identical 17-2 records (counting postseason). That two-year win total is the most in NFL history.
2006 - The Pats earn a spot in the AFC title game for the third time in four years, allowing less than 15 points per game, a team record. In the dreaded flu game, they lose to the Colts, blowing a three-score lead.
September 9, 2007 - The Pats stomp the Jets in the Meadowlands, but during that game, it was determined the team was illegally taping New York's coaches' signals. By the time the investigation was complete, Belichick was fined a league maximum of $500,000, the team $250,000, and their 2008 first-round pick (31st overall) was docked.
2007 - For the first time in NFL history, a team went undefeated over a 16-game regular season (3 had done prior in shorter seasons, including the 1972 Dolphins). Belichick is named Coach of the Year. Their point differential of +315 remains the best of all time. The Patriots lost their shot at perfection, falling 17-14 to the Giants in the Super Bowl.
2008 - Despite losing Brady in the first half of the first game, the Pats still finished the regular season 11-5, although they missed the playoffs.
2010 - Belichick earns honors AP Coach of the Year, leading the Pats to a 14-2 regular season mark.
2011 - After a three-year absence, the Pats returned to the Super Bowl, only to lose to the Giants again. That team set a new franchise record for total yards (5th in NFL history).
November 23, 2012 - Belichick wins his 200th game, a 49-19 rout of the Jets.
October 1, 2014 - After a lopsided loss in Kansas City that dropped the Pats to 2-2, Belichick was asked repeatedly about dealing with adversity and Brady's play. His response, repeatedly: "We're on to Cincinnati."
December 21, 2014 - Belichick and the Pats beat the Jets, 17-16, to move the coach into 4th place all-time for wins (230).
January 18, 2015 - Deflategate was born after the Pats AFC Championship game victory over the Colts. It was alleged that Brady ordered the deflation of his footballs to a lower pressure point than allowed by the league. Brady was eventually suspended, appealed, and later accepted a four-game ban to start the 2016-17 season.
January 24, 2015 - Belichick drops this gem in talking about the air pressure of footballs from that Colts game: "I'm not an expert in football measurements; I'm just telling you what I know. I would not say that I'm Mona Lisa Vito of the football world as she was of the car expertise area."
February 1, 2015 - Malcolm Butler intercepts a pass at the goal line to preserve a 28-24 win over the Seahawks and earn Belichick and the Pats their fourth Super Bowl title. In winning three postseason games, Belichick set the all-time mark for playoff wins by an NFL coach,
February 5, 2017 - In the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, the Patriots overcome a 28-3 deficit to beat the Falcons in overtime, 34-28. That marks Belichick's 5th title as the team's head coach.
February 4, 2018 - Brady threw for a postseason record 505 yards, but the Pats were upset in Super Bowl 52 by Nick Foles and the Eagles, 41-33. Belichick surpassed Tom Landry and Don Shula during this run for most playoff games coached (37).
September 9, 2018 - Belichick earns his 250th regular season victory in a 27-20 win over the Texans, passing Landry for third all-time.
February 3, 2019 - For the 6th and final time as the Pats head coach, Belichick directs the team to a Super Bowl victory, this time 13-3 over the Rams. LA entered the game averaging 30 points per contest but was limited to just one field goal. It would be Belichick's last playoff win with the team.
January 5, 2020 - The Patriots lose to the Titans in the opening round of the playoffs. It ends up being the final game of Brady's career with the organization. The Pats began the season 8-0 but lost 5 of their final 9, including the postseason game.
2020-21 - Patriots finished 7-9 without Brady and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007-08 (when Matt Cassel filled in for the injured Brady).
December 6, 2021 - The Pats go into Buffalo and, with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour, beat the Bills, 14-10, doing so, throwing just three passes. That elevated the Pats to the number-one seed in the AFC. The Pats would lose four of their final five games, including a 47-17 defeat to those same Bills. It was their last playoff appearance under Belichick.
2022 - The Patriots miss the playoffs for the second time in three years, going 8-9.
October 1, 2023 - The Cowboys hand Belichick his worst loss as Patriots head coach, routing New England 38-3.
October 8, 2023 - The Saints deliver Belichick's worst home loss, 34-0.
October 22, 2023 - Belichick earns his 300th career win as the Pats beat the Bills, 29-25 at Gillette Stadium. He's only one of three head coaches to reach that milestone, behind Shula and George Halas.
January 7, 2024 - Belichick coaches his last game with the Patriots, a 17-3 loss to the Jets. It was his 429th game as the team's head coach.
January 11, 2024 - Belichick and Kraft both announced in a joint press conference they have agreed to mutually part ways after 24 years together.
“I’ll always be a Patriot," Belichick said in his final comments. "I look forward to coming back here, but at this time we’re going to move on. I look forward to the future. But will always be very appreciative of the opportunity here.”
"As Bill mentioned, yesterday we met and mutually agreed to part ways amicably." Kraft said. "And, like a good marriage, a successful head coach-owner relationship requires a lot of hard work. And I'm very proud that our partnership lasted for 24 years. I don't think in the NFL, there's been any other partnership that lasted longer, and been as productive as ours."
