Three Replacements For Bill Belichick as Head Coach of Patriots

The New England Patriots mustered up some dignity in defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers last Thursday night for their third win of the season but things are still terrible up in Foxborough. Bill Belichick's future remains very much in question. Even winning out the rest of the season wouldn't put things to bed, and it is quite unlikely that happens given they play three playoff teams in the final four weeks.

When things got really bad in the middle of the season the sports world wondered if we wouldn't see the impossible and watch Robert Kraft fire Belichick midseason. At this point it is clear that won't happen. But the noise about what comes after the year is already starting. Patriots beat writer Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston reported on Monday that the decision for Belichick to part ways with the Patriots was made after they lost to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany on November 9.

Sure is weird seeing Belichick give the same grumbling answers about his own job security that he has for years with his own players'.

Obviously nothing is set in stone. There are still games left to be played. But this report in tandem with the general vibes around the organization create a starting point to start thinking about what comes after.

Who could be the coach tasked to replace Bill Belichick with the Patriots? Here are a few options.

Jerod Mayo

The leader in the clubhouse by a country mile, Mayo has long been thought of as Belichick's successor. He's been interviewing for head coaching positions around the league the last few years and got a big raise from the organization to ensure he stays put as defensive coordinator instead of leaving for potentially greener pastures. Mayo is the obvious choice, and if anything would at least bring a more youthful mindset to the table than the 71-year-old Belichick. However, things have gone so horrifically wrong this season that it wouldn't come as a surprise if Kraft wanted to make a clean break from the Belichick coaching tree and look elsewhere.

Ben Johnson

If so, Johnson is the obvious next choice. The Lions' offensive coordinator will be one of the offseason's hottest coaching candidates and will have more interviews than he knows what to do with. Detroit's offense has shown more warts than they did during their torrid stretch to end last season but he still displays the qualities that are in extremely high demand around the league these days-- he's innovative, flexible, and quite skilled at creating gameplans tailored to the players at his disposal. The hope is that Johnson is Mike McDaniel 2.0 and capable of making an instant impact wherever he's hired. He'd be a great hire for the Pats. The issue is that he will pretty much have his pick of destinations and how attractive New England is will depend entirely on how their draft pick pans out.

Jim Harbaugh

If Kraft, for whatever reason, does not want to lean into the modern game and prefers to keep things as close to the status quo as possible, Harbaugh is his man. An older head coach who demands full control, coaches his guys hard, and has a reputation for skirting around the rules? Basically Midwestern Bill Belichick. In seriousness, Harbaugh is a candidate more because of the view that hiring him would be a "big splash." It's the sort of move a dying dynasty would make. Get the biggest name on the market to try to ensure a turnaround ASAP and give fans a reason to keep the faith instead of taking a risk on a first-time head coach. Is it the best move? Probably not. Would Harbaugh even want to do this? Also probably not! But money talks and from all appearances Harbaugh has been desperate to get out of college football for a while now. Can't rule it out.