NFL Insider Refutes Theory About Bill Belichick-Patriots Separation

The timing of Bill Belichick and the Patriots going their separate ways was interesting.

New England didn’t reveal a Belichick decision on the NFL’s “Black Monday,” nor the day after. But two days after the Tennessee Titans fired Patriots Hall of Famer Mike Vrabel, news broke that Belichick and New England mutually agreed to cut ties after 24 years together.

Will Vrabel factor into the Patriots’ coaching search? Probably. But as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Thursday morning, Robert Kraft’s decision to oust Belichick wasn’t based on a potential successor.

“Let’s be very clear: This was not about someone becoming available and everything changed,” Pelissero said on “Good Morning Football. “This was about Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick. In recent years, Robert Kraft has exercised more authority over certain moves within the organization. You go back to last year, the Patriots did some things that they usually don’t do: Putting out press releases on things like Jerod Mayo being retained, about Bill O’Brien coming aboard as the offensive coordinator. For Belichick, he lost a certain level of power over how the entire organization operates.”

Belichick now is free to join any team, and the Atlanta Falcons have emerged as an early candidate for the legendary coach’s services. As for the Patriots, their next head coach might already be in the building.