Star coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are going their separate ways. As the 71-year-old and Patriots owner Robert Kraft jointly announced at a press conference on Thursday, they are ending their collaboration by mutual agreement after 24 seasons

Belichick has been in office since 2000 and won six Super Bowls with the team from Foxborough. This makes him the most successful coach in the history of the US professional football league NFL.

“After serious discussions, we have decided to part ways by mutual agreement. For me, this is a day of gratitude and celebration,” said Belichick. It has been great to have been head coach for 24 years and the successes have exceeded his wildest dreams: “I will always be a Patriot.”

Owner Kraft said: “This is an emotional day for me. Some of my happiest and most memorable moments were celebrated with my family during Bill’s tenure here,” he said. It will be an emotional day for many “because it represents the end of an era that will always be celebrated in this region”. He will forever be celebrated as a legendary sports icon in New England.

Together with quarterback legend Tom Brady, Belichick had shaped this very era and had much to celebrate. The coach-player duo won the Super Bowl in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017 and 2019. At the end of the 2019/20 season, Brady left the Patriots after 20 years with the team. However, success went with him. The Patriots only made it to the play-offs in 2021 under Belichick’s leadership.

This season, quarterback Mac Jones and Co. missed out on the battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy earlier than at any time since 2000/01. In 2023-24, they finished bottom of the AFC East with 13 defeats and just four wins.

Belichick’s departure marks the second end of a football dynasty in a short space of time. It was only on Thursday that the Seattle Seahawks announced that Head Coach Pete Carroll would only be working in an advisory capacity with immediate effect.

Where and whether Belichick will continue his coaching career remains to be seen.