While the New England Patriots' win on Sunday afternoon certainly shocked a lot of people, there was one report that came out prior to the game that grabbed everyone's attention.  

On Sunday NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Belichick and the Patriots quietly agreed on a multi-year contract extension prior to the 2023 season.

And on Wednesday, he clarified this initial report when appearing on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show. Rapoport went into heavy detail, discussing the meaning of his report, the possibility of a trade, and even a potential succession plan for the Patriots head coach. Let's dive in. 

"So here's everything I know, everything I reported on Sunday. Bill Belichick at some point during this offseason, so not like in August, but some point during the offseason, signed a multi-year new contract," Rapoport said. "It pays him very well. All of his contract pays him very well, most of these guys are pretty well paid. But multi-year new contract is what I was told. So that can mean a lot of things, but at least it means he is under contract for more than this year."

"It also means the Patriots made a decision before the season, during the offseason to commit to him for years to come. That is what I know," Rapoport added. "That was my report. I know it's sort of being taken in a lot of different ways. That is okay. That is what generally happens when you report something like this, but that is what I know."

The report caused many to begin speculating, and Rapoport provided a little insight into his work to get this news. 

"I would say, first of all, there are multiple sources. It was not one source. It was also something that I have worked on on and off since probably in the spring," Rapoport said. "So I think sort of the impression that's sometimes given, especially in Boston… I think the assumption is I woke up in the morning, someone handed me this envelope containing the secret news, and then I then went on air and reported it. That is not exactly the case of how it works in my world or really ever in anyone's world. Well I don't know about anyone's world, but not my world. It's something I've worked on for a while. Something I was able to nail down that I started asking questions about when the Patriots started struggling and when Bill Belichick's job status became openly debated. I kind of reengaged on this news I had heard about and was able to confirm it and then reported it on Sunday's show at 10:01 a.m.."

Could the Patriots trade Belichick?

With this new contract extension, there was also a question posed on WEEI regarding the possibility of trading Bill Belichick. And that brought back memories of how the future Hall of Fame coach ended up in New England. 

The New York Jets traded Belichick to the Patriots in return for some draft picks, and it's clear who won that trade with New England going on to win six Super Bowls. 

But will that happen again? Rapoport weighs in. 

"Not that I heard and I don't think there would need to be. First of all, I don't know if that would be relevant at all, but for the sake of argument, for the sake of answering your question, let's assume that it is relevant," Rapoport said. "There wouldn't need to be because Bill Belichick is the greatest coach of all time. The Patriots treat people with respect and the right way. If there was something that needed to happen, if there was, if there was a coach trade or compensation it would only be for somewhere Bill Belichick wanted to go and if there was somewhere he didn't want to go, it just wouldn't happen. All sides would need to agree if there was something that was going to happen after this season or after next season or literally whenever. So there wouldn't have to be. It would just be all sides getting together and saying here's what would be the most important thing and here's where this person would want to go or not want to go. And then because he's under contract beyond this year, there would be compensation theoretically for this move."

Will Belichick hand over personnel duties? 

"I have not heard that part of it if that is the case. Now I mean obviously there are personnel people, there's (Matt Groh), there's (Eliot) Wolf, there's some people who are really good in the building," Rapoport said. "Bill has the final say, yes. But there are people doing those jobs as they currently stand. I mean obviously, Bill has a significant say, final say. I have not heard of him giving up the final say."

Was there any coincidence on when the story was released? 

On Oct. 11, The Athletic's Jeff Howe released a story providing his thoughts on whether Robert Kraft would be willing to fire Belichick despite all he has done for the organization. 

The short answer: Yes. Kraft would. 

"So I saw that story. I'm not saying that I doubt the story because Jeff Howe is good and certainly trust his sources. I wouldn't say anything I reported had anything to do with any of that story. First of all, with all due respect to Jeff Howe who I like a lot, it doesn't matter because what may or may not happen in the future based on his sources, that would have nothing to do with what I reported," Rapoport said. "So I guess the answer would be no, it wasn't a reaction to that. Like I said, I've been working on this story for months, not weeks."

"I wouldn't say that report affected anything I reported," he added. "I think maybe because in New England there are some very good reporters, there are some very connected reporters and a lot of people report a lot of things, so if I spend a lot of time responding to every different report, I would probably go insane. More insane than I already am." 

Do the Patriots have a succession plan for Bill Belichick?

Despite having signed a long-term contract extension, it is still necessary for the Patriots to have a plan once Belichick leaves. And as fans saw with Tom Brady, where the team was not prepared, this is crucial. 

And Rapoport provided some details on what he thinks the Patriots' plan might be following the Belichick era. 

"I was at the league meeting in March… and I was there when Robert Kraft was talking about Jerod Mayo being on the staff and the sort of assumption that Jerod Mayo would be the next in line," Rapoport said. "Obviously at that point, Bill O'Brien by that point had been hired too, former head coach, so it would sort of make sense to be under consideration too. But I've kind of always thought that whenever Bill Belichick stops coaching, that the Patriots have a pretty good plan."

Jerod Mayo was given a contract extension (and a decent raise it seems) to stay on with the Patriots as the inside linebackers coach. This was significant as he was being interviewed as a potential head coach elsewhere. 

But this move made many think that Mayo might be next in line to lead the Patriots. 

"I mean Mayo makes sense. He's an excellent leader. Very good defensive coach. I've known him since he was a rookie. To me he's been a head coach since he was 22 years old," Rapport said. "We used to call him Jerod Belichick in the locker room. He's been a coach ever since he's been a player. So if that was the next, that wouldn't surprise me. I don't know contractually in the NFL if you are allowed to lay out a succession plan. I don't know. I think not, but I don't know for sure. I'm just saying that regardless of what the contract says, the Patriots have a pretty solid succession plan and know that whenever it's time, they have some guys who can step in and do a really good job."

Adam Schefter isn’t buying Bill Belichick’s future with Patriots

Adding his opinion into the mix.