New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Former All-Pro TE expands on future of Patriots' Bill Belichick

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 12/8/23

Retired New England Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski recently explained he believes head coach Bill Belichick is "grandfather-claused in" and will only leave the organization this coming offseason if he and Patriots owner Robert Kraft "mutually agree" to part ways.

Per Chris Rosvoglou of The Spun, Gronkowski told Yahoo! Sports ahead of the weekend he thinks Belichick is "gonna come back" to the Patriots for another campaign.

"He's won six Super Bowls there," Gronkowski said of Belichick's relationship with the Patriots. "He's the best coach of all time. It would be weird seeing him on another team."

Belichick reportedly signed a contract extension earlier this year that runs through the 2024 season and that would allow Kraft to acquire compensation by trading the coach's services to another club. Specifically, Belichick has been linked with the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers, although it seems the Panthers will pursue younger offensive minds come January.

Belichick turns 72 years old this coming April.

As shared by Mike Kadlick of Boston sports radio station WEEI, Gronkowski offered similar comments about Belichick's future during an appearance on the "Pardon My Take" podcast:

Rob Gronkowski on Bill Belichick potentially coaching with a team other than the #Patriots (via @PardonMyTake):

“I would be surprised for him to go to a different team. It would just be really weird, first off. It would just be weird seeing him on another team. I mean, he’s…
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) December 8, 2023

Meanwhile, Karen Guregian of MassLive noted that Gronkowski spoke about Belichick during a Friday event at Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace less than 24 hours after the Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-18, to improve to 3-10.

"He is getting kind of whacked a little bit, but it comes with the territory," Gronkowski said about Belichick. "If you’re a player or coach in New England, you’ve been whacked before with the criticism...But if there’s one guy that’s going to bounce back, if there’s one coach that’s going to bounce back and handle the pressure, it’s coach Belichick. He can turn things around in no time with time."

It remains to be seen if Belichick and Kraft will want to work together beyond Week 18 of the ongoing season, but at least one future Hall of Famer believes Kraft should think twice before happily moving on from the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach.

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