Mary Schwalm/AP
- Friends of Bill Belichick believe he may coach in the NFL for two or three more years.
- Belichick may want to stay in the NFL long enough to secure jobs for his sons, who are both assistants with the Patriots.
- Belichick's timeline could match the timeline of Tom Brady, who has said he'd like to play into his mid-40s.
While the New England Patriots signaled Tom Brady is their quarterback for the foreseeable future by trading Jimmy Garoppolo, there may be an end in sight for the Patriots' leader, Bill Belichick.
According to ESPN's Tom Junod and Seth Wickersham, friends of Belichick's believe he may only coach two or three more years.
From ESPN:
"Belichick is seeking to secure an immortality of his own. No one knows how much longer he'll coach, but his friends give him two or three more years, enough to ensure that his two sons, Stephen and Brian, both Patriots assistants, are secure, and possibly long enough to establish a truly dynastic succession."
In February, Wickersham reported that the end of Belichick's career was in sight, with people estimating it could come in at least two years.
If Belichick does end his coaching career in a few years, it would resemble Tom Brady's timeline. Brady has said he wants to play football into his mid-40s. Brady, 40, and Belichick could theoretically spend three more years together and decide to bow out together, something that seems more plausible after the Garoppolo trade.
According to ESPN, Belichick told people close to him that he believed he could win a Super Bowl with Garoppolo as the Patriots starting quarterback, something that may have kept him around even when Brady does retire. But with Garoppolo gone and the Patriots needing to find a backup to Brady - let alone a replacement - sticking around may have less appeal to Belichick.
For now, Belichick, Brady, and the Patriots remain in tact, hoping to continue competing for Super Bowl titles. But from the sounds of it, the clock may be ticking for Belichick.