The New England Patriots are in crisis and the rumors about the dismissal of head coach and general manager Bill Belichick are heating up. Apparently, the Patriots also already have their preferred successor in mind

Rumors have been swirling around Patriot Place in Foxborough for weeks. Is Bill Belichick’s time as head coach and de facto general manager coming to an end after almost 24 years?

Various media outlets and journalists claim to have learned that owner Robert Kraft is already making plans in the background to relieve the 71-year-old of his duties, at the latest after the season

Belichick successor: Old acquaintances from the AFC South as “desired solution”?

According to insiders at the Boston Globe, however, things have become concrete. The most respected daily newspaper in the New England region reports that Robert and his son Jonathan Kraft already have concrete successors in mind.

As is customary with the Patriots, these are said to be two old acquaintances. The preferred solution as head coach is said to be Mike Vrabel. The former Patriots linebacker, with whom he won three Super Bowls, currently coaches the Tennessee Titans and led them to the AFC Championship Game at the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 season.

He currently has a 3-5 record with the Titans and recently demoted his actual starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Vrabel might not be sitting firmly in the saddle either.

However, since Belichick has control over the team as well as all sporting matters off the field, New England would also need a new general manager in the event of his departure. According to the report, Nick Caserio would take over this job.

The former director of player personnel moved to the Houston Texans as general manager in 2021. The Texans are currently playing a great role in the AFC thanks to their draft picks Tank Dell, Nico Collins and, above all, C.J. Stroud.

Whether the report is true, however, remains to be seen. However, it fits the picture that Belichick is sitting in the hottest seat in the NFL right now