For 22 years, head coach Bill Belichick has been the guarantor of success for the New England Patriots. To the dismay of many NFL fans, the 70-year-old is likely to be on the sidelines in Foxborough for a few more years. At least if two companions have their way.

Foxborough/Munich – On Easter Saturday Bill Belichick celebrated his 70th birthday.

The stoic head coach has been at the helm of the New England Patriots since 2000 and has won seven Super Bowls since then.

If owner Robert Kraft has his way, this impressive record should be extended even further in the coming decade.

Bill Belichick: Another decade on the sidelines?

“Robert Kraft has told me that he wants to see Bill Belichick coach into his 80s,” Mike Florio of “ProFootballTalk” reported on the sports show “93.7 The Fan. ”

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“He wants to see him continue at the highest level, like Warren Buffett or Rupert Murdoch, who were still working well past their 80th birthdays. Kraft is convinced Belichick can do that. ”

New England Patriots: Even the competition believes in the “eternal Belichick “

Kraft, who himself turned 80 last year, is not alone in this opinion.

The new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Josh McDaniels, is also convinced of the longevity of the future Hall of Famer: “He’s still going at it with the same motivation he had when I started in 2001.”

In an interview with Peter King of “NBC Sports”, the 45-year-old spoke at length about his long-time mentor, impressively underlining Kraft’s comments.

“The big thing that will always speak for Bill and that he’s always been dedicated to is the fact that he loves all aspects of a football season. It doesn’t matter if it’s scouting, game preparation, roster evaluation, team building or developing young players. All of those things mean the same amount to him. ”

Looking back, though, it’s quite curious that Belichick is still serving as head coach at the current time. In a conversation with “NFL Films” during the 2009 season, he stated his intention to not be on the sidelines for too much longer.

“The world rushes by you,” Belichick said when asked about the general relinquishment as head coach. “I’m not going to emulate Marv Levy and still be coaching in my 70s. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Twelve years later, Belichick’s opinion seems to have changed. At least this year the 70-year-old will still be on the sidelines, beyond that nothing is known.

Bill Belichick, on the other hand, no longer has to prove anything. But anyone who has ever held the Vince Lombardi Trophy in their hands will never forget the feeling – and in the best case scenario will even want to repeat the moment.