Former Chargers star believes 2023 season will be Bill Belichick's last with Patriots

Shawne Merriman appears on OutKick's "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich" to talk Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.

The New England Patriots continue to hit new lows each week. 

On Sunday, the Patriots were shutout 6-0 by the Los Angeles Chargers and handed their fifth straight loss of the season behind quarterback Bailey Zappe, who was sacked five times in front of an uncharacteristically thinning home crowd.

Shawne Merriman #56 of the San Diego Chargers moves on the field during the game against the San Francisco 49ers on August 30, 2007 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

With the worst record in the AFC, speculation about New England’s plans for the draft and for the head coaching position continues to circulate.

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But to former Chargers star Shawne Merriman, the decline isn’t at all surprising. It will, however, take some time before things can be turned around.

"No, not at all," the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker said Monday during an appearance on OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" when asked if the Patriots’ decline shocked him.

"You’ve got that three to five year window to go out and possibly get a ring when you got a great team."

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"Guess what? The Patriots had two decades of a great quarterback, a great system, and there's an unlimited amount of times within those two decades to get a ring. After that, there’s a rebuilding era for every team – for all 32 teams when you have that three to five-year period, there’s a rebuilding phase." 

Former Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman announces the 60th pick