For the past two decades, the New England Patriots have been in a completely foreign environment. With 10 games remaining in the 2023 season, the club is 2-8 and as close to the basement of the NFL as they’ve been in a long time. They are the poorest team in the AFC East and have the worst record in the conference. Bill Belichick is having his worst season as Patriots head coach, with the latest low point being a six-point effort in a loss to the Colts in Germany, when he had to sit his former first-round quarterback for the third time this season. 

The terrible play, combined with the overall deterioration of New England’s squad, has made the call for Belichick’s departure louder than it has ever been. 

When the Patriots were defeated by the Titans on Wild Card Weekend in the 2019 playoffs, I wrote that it felt like the end of an era, stressing Tom Brady’s impending free agency. Even though it was months before Brady ultimately chose to leave the Patriots and sign with the Buccaneers, that loss and the sentiments around it had a sense of resignation that a chapter was closing. Belichick, the other pillar of New England’s dynasty, is experiencing the same sense of resignation, deflation, and overall understanding that something is going to end.

And, if Belichick’s tenure with the Patriots comes to an end as Robert Kraft decides to break ways with the architect of football’s most prolific dynasty, what does the future in Foxborough look like? Who are the people chosen to fill that massive hoodie? We’ve previously discussed what Belichick’s future might look like, so let’s shift our attention to what happens in a post-Belichick world for New England. 

One thing to keep in mind as we go through this exercise is that the Patriots will almost certainly be filling two jobs in the aftermath of a Belichick exit. He has functioned as the de facto general manager as well as the head coach during his tenure. With that in mind, we’ll fill two positions, assuming New England goes with a more typical masthead of one GM and one head coach. 

If the Patriots hire a defensive-minded coach, it makes sense to promote Mayo, but if they want a completely new presence, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati are likely to be interviewed this cycle. 

In terms of the front office, 49ers deputy general manager Adam Peters is an intriguing figure. Adams, like Waldron, may be considered a hybrid candidate. He began his NFL career as a scouting assistant with the Patriots in 2003 and spent his final three seasons with the team (2006-2008) as an area scout. Peters most recently worked for John Lynch in San Francisco, a team that has consistently been in the Super Bowl conversation over the last few seasons. 

Mike Borgonzi, the assistant general manager in Kansas City, is another candidate worth considering. The Chiefs have been the most dominating team in the NFL in recent seasons, so utilizing some of that braintrust for the benefit of New England makes sense. Borgonzi is also from Everett, Massachusetts, and was a four-year starter at Brown University.