Devin and Jason McCourty have differing opinions about Bill Belichick, Patriots’ future

Patriots

“I do think in New England, they blow this thing up at the end of the season.”

Back for his second tour with the Patriots, linebacker Jamie Collins, Sr. was sporting the number 8 and was surrounded by the McCourty twins Devin (left) and Jason (right) as they all climbed the stairs and headed for the practice field. The New England Patriots held their first workout of Training Camp as they prepared to defend their Super Bowl title.
Devin and Jason McCourty have offered differing opinions about the future of the Patriots. Jim Davis / The Boston Globe

With the Patriots floundering at the bottom of the AFC with a 2-8 record, former New England cornerback Jason McCourty is expecting a complete teardown in Foxborough this offseason.

The Super Bowl LIII champion and twin brother of ex-Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty discussed the state of the team on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Wednesday — with McCourty predicting that Jerod Mayo will take the reins as New England’s head coach once this season comes to a close.

“I do think in New England, they blow this thing up at the end of the season,” McCourty said. “Whatever coach they go with, whether Jerod Mayo steps up and he takes over and he decides to blow this thing up, I do think at this point, you have to figure out. Because you look at this roster, and there’s not a ton of talent.”

Devin McCourty, like his brother, believes that changes are in store for New England this winter. But unlike Jason, Devin doesn’t believe that New England will opt to fire Belichick, even with this season’s dreadful showing.

“I think it’ll be Coach Belichick,” Devin McCourty said when asked who New England’s coach in 2024 will be on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show”. “I think that should happen. I think there are other things that they can do to fix the issues that they’ve had, but I also believe that this team needs to build over time.”

Jason McCourty, who was on hand with NFL Network to call New England’s disheartening 10-6 loss to the Colts in Frankfurt, Germany, last Sunday, believes that Belichick will end up coaching elsewhere in 2024.

“What’s the future hold? I think obviously, he finishes out the season,” Jason McCourty said of Belichick. “I don’t think Robert Kraft is going to move on from Bill Belichick during the season. But I do think that at the end of this season, I think Bill moves on, and I think he’s coaching somewhere else. I don’t see Bill retiring.

“I got a chance to talk to him obviously in the production meetings. He loves football. He’s telling us old [Lawrence Taylor] stories. He’s talking about this team, ways to improve it. I don’t see him just saying, ‘You know what, it was a good run. I’m going to finish out this season. Top-five draft pick, we’re not successful, and I’m just going to walk into the sunset.’ I see him wanting to continue to coach.”

A large-scale rebuild that Jason McCourty projected likely involves New England moving on from Mac Jones as the team’s QB1, especially if the team is able to land a blue-chip signal caller like USC’s Caleb Williams or UNC’s Drake Maye during the 2024 NFL Draft.

But even though it’s becoming increasingly clear that Jones’ time in Foxborough might be coming to a close, Jason McCourty noted that some of the third-year QB’s failings are a direct result of the circumstances around him — especially when it comes to a coaching carousel on offense and a ill-equipped roster severely lacking in proven playmakers.

“We talked to Mac Jones the day before the [Colts] game,” McCourty said. “Mac Jones has had three different offensive coordinators in his third year. He’s not throwing to a bunch of first-round talent on the outside. We compared him to Tua Tagovailoa, who was an Alabama quarterback, as well. Tua had multiple coordinators in his first three years. He gets Mike McDaniel back-to-back years, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and next thing, you’re talking about his name in the MVP conversation.

“I’m not saying that would be Mac Jones if he had that situation. But you do have to understand a quarterback with three different coordinators, who won 10 games his rookie year, that’s not a recipe built for success.”